Santa Claus Reacts To Little Girl Who Said 'No' To Sitting On His Lap
All she wants for Christmas is respect for her boundaries.
Africa Studio / Shutterstock It’s the time of year again when you’ll be at the mall doing your holiday shopping when suddenly the terrified shrieks of children slice through the air. You’ll pause to find the source of the screaming and see children attempting to drag themselves away from Santa Claus’ lap, begging their parents not to make them do it.
Ignoring their cries, the parents wrangle the hysterical children right onto a poor Santa’s lap before rushing away to get the perfect photo op for their holiday card. It’s a sight that makes us all cringe a little, and our hearts break.
Thankfully, one Santa Claus respected a child’s boundaries and praised her for confidently sticking up for herself.
The Santa Claus respected a little girl’s wishes when she said that she did not want to sit on his lap for a photo.
A TikTok video posted by Katie Love, the little girl’s mother, depicted the man working as Santa Claus sitting beside her toddler daughter, with a hand over her shoulder. However, unlike many children so close to Santa, she was not in tears attempting to get away.
The little girl's positive reaction was all because Santa (and her parents) respected her choice not to sit on his lap.
“I said this is her body and she’s in control of her body,” Santa explained to the camera. “I asked if she wanted to sit on my lap and she said no.”
Santa praised the little girl for standing up for herself and asserting her boundaries. He reminded her that she should never allow anyone, even Santa Claus, to disrespect her bodily autonomy.
The little girl’s mother, Katie, applauded Santa for his response. “Thank you, Santa, for respecting my daughter’s choice!” she wrote in the caption of her video.
People online commended Santa for his response.
“I love this. No reason to pressure her to be uncomfortable for a picture,” one TikTok user commented. “That is one amazing Santa right there!” another user wrote. “I just cried. As a child who was uncomfortable with touch and family who pushed me, this is so good to hear,” a third user shared.
Photo: Brastock / Shutterstock
When many parents take their children to see Santa Claus, they are mostly concerned with getting a perfect holiday photo that they can show off to others and include on their Christmas cards.
What they fail to realize is that their “precious memory” may be a traumatic experience for their children. Their cries of protest were ignored and their bodily autonomy was stripped from them, all so that their parents could have a cute photo (and how cute is it really if the kids refuse to smile and are in hysterics?)
Forcing your children to sit on Santa’s lap and take a photo is instilling the belief in them that their consent doesn’t matter.
Instead, we should be empowering children to have control over their own bodies and personal boundaries.
It gives them a sense of agency, helps them recognize that they have the right to make decisions about their own bodies, and sets them up for success in the future.
While Santa Claus may be someone that children who believe in him admire, that does not mean that they should be forced onto his lap for a photo op. To them, Santa is still a stranger whom they may feel uncomfortable having touch their bodies.
The best gift we could give our children this holiday season is allowing them the right to choose. They should be given the choice as to whether or not they want to sit in Santa’s lap for a photo, and it is completely acceptable if they do not wish to do so.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.