The Washington Post published a story this week questioning whether or not children should be forced to sit on Santa Claus’ lap amid the #MeToo movement.
WashPost gender and family issues reporter Samantha Schmidt penned the feature headlined, “Should crying children sit on Santa’s lap for photos? Here’s why some parents are saying no.” The story appeared in the Social Issues section of the paper’s website.
Schmidt opened the piece by painting a picture of a two-year-old girl who was reluctant to sit on Santa’s lap during a recent trip to the mall – which frustrated the toddler’s mother. Schmidt asked, “If her daughter was crying and resisting a photo on Santa’s lap, should she make her go through with it?”
The reporter notes that a “photo with Santa is still a childhood rite of passage for many Americans,” but some parents have “begun questioning the way the culture approaches photos with Santa amid the #MeToo movement and a national conversation over how to teach young children about consent and physical boundaries.”
Schmidt pondered what kind of message it sends to girls later in life if they were forced to sit on Santa’s lap as a child. – READ MORE