Mommy, Why Doesn't Santa Visit All the Children?

We spent Thanksgiving in Utah this year. I drove home with my girls a couple of days after the big, bad winter storm blew through. At one of the many gas stations we stopped at during the long 12 hour drive, my four-year old Princess, noticed a large "number 10" can on the counter for collecting money. The image of santa and a large stack of gifts wrapped around the outside of the can immediately caught her eye.

Princess: What's that can for mommy?

Me: To collect money.

Princess: For what?

Me: To help buy presents for families who don't have a lot for Christmas this year.

Princess: Oh. (pause) Can I have some money?

Now I think she mostly just likes the act of dropping money through a slot and the sound of the clinck as it hits the bottom, but I guess it's a start to a charitable habit. I reminded her of the dollar Grandpa had given her for jumping into the hotel pool all by herself. She wasn't so sure she wanted to part with her own money so we decided that she could give half of her dollar and I would match it. The money went into the can and we got on our way.

It was a few miles down the road when Princess piped up again (even though she had a nice DVD to keep her quiet).

Princess: Mommy, why doesn't santa visit all the children?

Me: Umm..... (silence)

She had obviously been thinking about this for a while. All different scenarios played through my head of how I might explain this unfair phenomenon without crushing her belief in santa. Some people would say this might be one of the many reasons why children shouldn never be taught to believe in santa in the first place. But I am not yet ready for her to lose this small part of childhood innocence.

I can't help but think of her question as a precursor to a much more philosophical question about God that has puzzled humanity forever. If there is really an all powerful, all knowing, all loving God out there, why doesn't he take care of all his children. Many view the pain, poverty and suffering in the world as proof that He must not exist. I wonder if this is another reason why I can't seem to let Princess's question become any amount of proof that there may not be a santa claus even if in the near future I choose to let her belief slide for other reasons.

I finally said: There are a lot of children out there. Santa counts on us to help get all the work done.

It may not have been the right thing to say. I made a concious decision to perpetuate the santa lie just a little longer. We're not a "hard-core" santa believing family, but this didn't seem like the right time to break the truth to her.

Hopefully she doesn't turn out having major trust issues when she gets older. But, I guess that's what a therapy fund is for anyway -- :)