The Christmas season is here and many children are eagerly awaiting a visit from old St. Nick.
And most parents indulge that childhood fantasy. To them it's a cherished Christmas tradition. So much so that last week a Cedar Hill, N.J., substitute teacher landed in hot water for telling first-grade students the jolly old elf isn't real. The school district had to scramble to appease upset kids and angry parents.
While most children are brought up to believe in Santa Claus, some are not. Some parents just don't want their children thinking Santa Claus is real and comes down the chimney each year with presents. Often it's for religious reasons-they don't think such a secular, even magical figure is appropriate to a Christian celebration. Others just don't like the idea of bringing up their children to believe in such fantasies.
We want to know your thoughts. Did you raise your children to believe in Santa Claus or not?
Send your response (50 words maximum) to [email protected] by Wednesday, Dec. 12. You can also mail your response to the Texarkana Gazette Friday Poll, at P.O. Box 621, Texarkana, TX 75504 or drop it off at our office, 101 E. Broad St, Texarkana, Ark. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will print as many responses as we can in next Friday's paper.
Last Week: Gene Editing?
Last week's question was about a Chinese scientist who claimed to have engineered the world's first genetically edited babies. Is gene editing something that is worthy of further research? Or should it be banned outright?
From www.facebook.com/texarkanagazette
- It would be stupid of us, not to mention go completely against our nature as human beings, not to use this medical advancement to the best of our ability. #ScienceIsGod
- We haven't seen anything yet re gene editing. As you said, the genie is out of the box. It'll be whack a mole for a while as various countries decide what to do about it. The potential for good and bad are enormous.
- If used properly it would be a good thing, it would be great to be able to get rid of cancer genes or prevent Alzheimer's etc but the down side is if someone wanted to use it for other purposes than good