A dull book seeking to prove that the Tooth Fairy, the Easter
Bunny, and Santa Claus are myths beneficial to children's
development. Trained in anthropology and developmental psychology,
Clark interviewed 133 children and 72 mothers in order to evaluate
the benefits and drawbacks of children's faith in nonexistent
beings. Her opponents are an unlikely pairing: social scientists
who believe that lying to children undermines the essential trust
between parent and child, and Christian fundamentalists who wish to
preserve the religious significance of Christmas and Easter. In her
briefest and most convincing discussion, Clark argues that Tooth
Fairy rituals ease children through the difficult process of losing
their primary teeth. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny get lengthier
and more confusing treatment. Clark believes that these characters
encourage the imagination and that children freely introduce
personal elements into the holiday rituals surrounding them. "This
active influence of the child on festival observation directly
contradicts expressed views of many social scientists who espouse a
more passive view of 'socialization,' "she states - yet the
examples she cites are of two children who learned about the
holiday observance in their parochial schools and of one
non-Christian six-year-old who told her mother that they had to
prepare for Easter because all the neighbors were. In light of how
adults perpetuate such beliefs in children, it seems odd to insist
that children's experience "has just as much validity...as the
faith and experience of adults," nor is it clear why Clark excludes
fathers from her study. Interesting questions about when and how
children are disabused of their beliefs are touched on only briefly
here, and then mainly in the case of a born-again Christian. At
best, glaringly inconclusive. At worst, sketchy and poorly
analyzed. (Kirkus Reviews)
In Flights of Fancy, Leaps of Faith, Cindy Dell Clark went right to
the believers - American children - to explore how children
themselves give meaning to Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth
Fairy. Through interviews and observation conducted in real-life
settings from homes to shopping malls during the holidays, she asks
whether believing in these figures is good or bad for children.
Using their insights, she offers fresh, new interpretations about
tooth loss as a rite of passage, about Christmas (including the
role of the family and the Christmas tree), and about Easter
customs (including the Easter egg hunt) in contemporary America.
Clark challenges the notion that the figures are merely
"imaginary". She demonstrates how children actively shape these
traditions through their own creativity and beliefs. And because
they require the child's faith in order to be experienced, they
play an important and singular role in a child's psychological
development. Through the mysteries and myths of Christmas and
Easter, families balance the values of receiving and giving, of
growth and sacrifice. Each aspect of the Santa myth, from his slide
down a chimney to his big red suit, plays a part in a child's
imagination. Through their offerings of milk and cookies and their
letter writing, children bring their relationship to Santa into
developing attitudes toward giving and receiving gifts. The Easter
Bunny story, with its ritual egg hunt and baskets of brightly
colored candy, is explored in terms of life and its possibility of
growth. In these examples, Clark shows how children play an active
role in constructing family rituals and cultural reality, since
their willingness to make the storiestheir own helps to renew the
traditions. This engaging look at our central symbols will hold
great interest for parents, as well as for teachers, psychologists,
and other professionals concerned with childhood culture. Complete
with children's vivid testimonies and colorful illustrations, it is
a revealing journey into a child's mind and world.
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