Belief in Saint Nicholas and reality: when children begin to suspect

Belief in St. Nicholas is quite natural and beneficial for children aged 7-8, as magical elements and belief in miracles are essential to their emotional development.

Child psychologist Svitlana Chumakova expressed this opinion during an airing on the “KYIV24” channel.

According to the expert, at the age of approximately 9-10 years, children begin to doubt and develop critical thinking. This is precisely the period when they need to start thinking about the existence of St. Nicholas, ask their parents questions, and look for answers.

Chumakova emphasized that this process is natural and does not cause any trauma to the child. If the child comes to an understanding of reality on their own, it does not cause painful experiences or negative emotions.

However, the psychologist noted that adults sometimes use the holiday as a tool of manipulation. For example, some parents tell children that there will be no gifts if they do not obey or have bad grades. This approach can cause a child to fear mistakes, which will negatively affect his emotional state and self-esteem.

Therefore, gifts should not become a tool of upbringing or, even more so, a form of blackmail.

Meanwhile, the portal “Znaj” previously wrote about various aspects of education in European schools, in particular, about the strict rules that apply there.

In addition, the question of whether schoolchildren should be excellent students during war was recently raised, and cases of unacceptable behavior in schools were identified, sparking outrage on social networks.