DECATUR - "¦ Is there a Santa Claus?"

It's the question many parents dread this time of year.

Let's face it, not everyone has the eloquence of New York Sun Writer Francis Church when he wrote "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," in response to that question more than 100 years ago.

But when is the right time for parents to spill the beans?

Most children reach an age where they start asking questions about Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, said Claudia Quigg, executive director of Baby Talk and child development expert. Her advice to parents: Follow the child's lead.

"As long as the kids are happy, there is no need to set them straight," she said. "Some children figure it out during their cognitive development as they understand how the world works."

And even if the children figure it out, Quigg said, families should continue to observe their treasured Christmas traditions.

"Parents have the right to create that fun, magical observation in their home, and it doesn't harm the children," she said. "The challenges come when a child hears from other children different ways of thinking about the holidays because their family has a different set of values."

For Miranda Barnes and her husband, it's important that their three girls continue to believe in Santa. That's why the family made a special visit recently to see Mr. Claus at Hickory Point Mall, Forsyth.

"I tell them if they don't believe, then they won't get any presents," Barnes said of the girls, ages, 10, 3 and 1. Otherwise, she said she doesn't talk much about the subject of who Santa really is.

However, when the questions do come, it isn't easy for anybody - not even the experts.

Last year, Quigg was faced with a Santa dilemma with her grandchildren. It popped up when they saw a white Santa in a parade and then went to church and saw a black Santa.

For Quigg, the explanation was easy. She merely told them that there are many Santas who act as Santa's helpers and that the real Santa Claus is still at the North Pole.

"Some children never ask the question as they get older because they just love Santa so much," Quigg said.

sheilas@herald-review.com|421-7963