Dear santa...

Dear friends, Please don't use "santa" as a form of parenting. The threat of being "good" in order to get presents hurts my heart. Love on your kids, teach them, train them in the ways of the Lord, encourage them, discipline them, guide them, support them, love on them-- but please don't turn the advent season into a season of "If you don't (...) Santa won't give you presents". Instead view this as a season of the Gift that we all get- despite our own behavior/attitude/thoughts. The amazing gift of Jesus- of love everlasting- of redemption. Your children long for nothing more than your unconditional love- don't complicate it with the condition of santa bringing presents. Our children are our precious gift and we don't deserve them. I mess up daily, but God saw fit to bless me with two precious miracles. My prayer is that I use this season to love on them the way He loves on us. By 9am on December 25th the "santa-threat parenting" will be null and void. But the love, boundaries, respect, joy, and peace that we work on in our homes will live on. Let us shape them into people that love themselves, one another, and the Lord.