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Why oh why do people take their babies/toddlers to the mall and stick them screaming/crying on the lap of some giant scary holiday creature???

Think Easter Bunny, Santa Clause and the like???

My DS and I witnessed this today at a local mall while having a pretzel and lemonade.

My DS looked at me and asked WHY?? He then promised he'd never do that to his children.

That's the best part of being a parent

I have one picture like this. DS#2 is screaming wildly while DS#1 is ssmiling like an angel. I think it's payment for 27 hours of natural childbirth with back labor.

Trac-Fone still has not forgiven me for the ONE time I placed our then-baby daughter (our eldest) on Santa's lap, and had her (crying) picture taken. (Of course, Trac-Fone hasn't forgiven me for anything, up to and including his core misery, which long predated me.)

Why oh why did I do this heinous thing? Well, I was a new mom. I loved pics of me with Santa. I didn't know she'd cry. When she did, it wasn't the end of the world.

The entire "horror" lasted all of maybe 12 seconds before she was photographed and removed from the lap of a disinterested old man and back in my arms.

She is 25 now and loves the picture. And me, despite my terrible parenting.

Not everything is all that tsk-tsk worthy, really. :::shrug::::

My DD will be five soon, and we don't have any pictures of her with Santa or the Easter Bunny. She has seen Santa a couple times, but has only waved to him: she has never sat on his lap.

I have asked her every year if she wants to go see Santa or the Easter Bunny and every year she says no. If we were to take her she would be another child crying in the pictures. I see no point in taking her and getting her upset for no reason.

When I was little I used to dread going to see Santa and would stress out about it all day, and then feel relieved when it was over.

I have no problem when people do take their kids to see these characters, but for us it's just not something we want to do.

I have a cousin that is 6 months younger than me, and we were raised like sisters.

We have pictures of her and I with every character you could imagine; from Santa to the East bunny to Woodsy the Owl and Smokey the Bear. In all of them she is screaming bloody murder and I am grinning for the camera.

I LOVE the pictures.

I think it's one thing if they freak out the moment the pic is taken, but if they're scared and whimpering in the line waiting - not cool.