How old were your children when they stopped believing in Santa Claus / Father Christmas?

[Organa]

I can hear doubts forming in my nine year old's mind and I am not sure we'll get to the other side of Christmas before he declares it as a myth. Unfortunately, he'll probably say it in front of his younger brother and ruin the magic for him too.

How old were your children when they stopped believing?

[going]

My 1 year old was saying last tear that she thought me and her dad were father christmas. As she has younger siblings I told her if she doesn't want to believe in Father christmas she won't get any presents from him - that kept her quiet on the subject!

[going]

10 year old not 1 year old!!!!

[ShowOfHands]

DD doesn't believe me and never has. She gives me her patented "don't try and dupe me just because I'm 4" look. I was the same, never believed. I had to be told not to ruin it for my older brother. He cottoned on at 6 or 7 when somebody at school told him I think.

[poorbuthappy]

My 7 year old doesn't believe. but this is partly my fault as I obviously wasn't good enough at convincing her about the magic of it all!
She wouldn't accept the answers as to how he managed to get round the world in 1 night etc. so I gave up in the end.
My sister was disgusted with me.

[Organa]

This morning, I tried the line about "well if he doesn't exist, how come you saw him in the garden when you were two?". It worked enough to distract him into a competition with his brother about who had seen the most amazing sights, but I know its going to keep coming back.
Then if and when i do tell him quietly and ask him not to say anything to his brother, he'll ruin it anyway by overacting whenever Santa gets mentioned.

[Marne]

My 7 year old believes but my 5 year old doesn't (she has ASD and doesn't really understand it all), i cant mention FC infront of her as she's scared of the big red man .

[Cheeptrickortreat]

You mean Santa is not real (i turn 30 next year)

My son is 3 in feb so i hope he gets it this year - i'm going to enjoy it when it lasts.

My sister has never told her child about Santa but told him to not let on to the other children he is not real - i think its sad that he is missing out on the magic of christmas but then he likes all the gifts and he seems happy enough.

[Organa]

From my own childhood, I remember Christmas just wasn't so much fun any more after all the children stopped believing. Just one more Christmas, please!!

[Dialsmavis]

DS is almost 9 and has his doubts but has put them aside for this year at least. Last year Exs GF opened her stocking but thanked Ex for the pressies so that made him think FC doesn't exist. This year he is doing a letter for 'him' and is apparently not going to show us or tell us whats on it just to confirm its all real. he has left half finished letter ion kitchen though so I am taking notes of my own [hsmile]

[moogalicious]

Dd is 9 and stopped believing last year thanks to my big mouth dh yakking on the phone CHRISTMAS DAY, telling his uncle how I crept upstairs and put the stockings on the dc's bed. Dh managed to ruin the tooth fairy in a similar way. I now call him the spoiler of childhood magic Thankfully, we've persuaded her to keep quiet for the other 2 dc's.

[hanahsaunt]

My older two have never really believed because we have a couple of fab books about St Nicholas and how Santa was a real man a long time ago and how we (all) have inherited his legacy of kindness to others and the joy of giving; aiming for the same for the younger two. Doesn't spoil Christmas at all - enhances it, really. (Though did have to warn the nursery teacher that ds1 may announce that Santa was real but now he's dead - didn't think other parents would really like that).

[planetpotty]

If you sense him getting close maybe have a subtle chat about how younger kids love Santa and that it's nice for them that it's sooo exciting hopefully he might pick up the hint a bit at my own post!

[TheLittlestNarwhal]

DS1 was about 7 when he challenged me on it out of the blue on Xmas Eve. I had a quiet chat with him and asked him to carry on the story for DS2 ( then only 3 ) - I think we got about another 3 years out of it with lots of very unsubtle grinning and winking from DS1!

Funnily enough, although both DS's are now way beyond believing, they both still enjoy the magic of it and we still have to put out a mince pie and carrot on xmas eve. I'm a big kid myself at Xmas so happy to keep encouraging it.

[ShowOfHands]

I don't think not believing ruins the magic at all. I never believed, dd doesn't and we are utterly enchanted by Christmas. By the magic of celebration and festivities and coming together as families and story telling (including St Nick). It's a brilliant, joyful time. It's not all about the man in the red suit and if you have enough of the other stuff, knowing the big man isn't real will never ever ruin it.

[YammerHouseOfHorror]

DS1 has ASD and doesn't really go in for the whole Father Christmas thing much, not sure if he doesn't believe as such, or just hasn't bothered to think about it. DS2 is 8 and has just started saying maybe FC doesn't exist and it's just your parents. I told him yesterday he might not get anything if FC thinks he doesn't believe but I think he's sussed it really so we might have a chat so he doesn't spoil things for his little sister.

[MamaLucia]

My mum & dad always told us from when we were tiny that Santa/Father Christmas was the spirit of a lovely old man who at Christmas used to go around giving presents to poor children whose parents couldn't afford to give them any -- so I think that while I always knew the origin, I was happy to go along with the story anyway and still loved the idea of the magic and left carrots out for the reindeer etc. If you make Christmas about more than just Santa and 'getting presents' but emphasize to kids the importance of looking after and caring for and appreciating their family, friends and also reaching out to people who are less fortunate - and that that's where the idea of santa came from anyway, then they might be more inclined, not less, to pick up on the magic of Christmas.

[caz1010]

Whoa whoa whoa ! Hes not real ? (33 year old believer) am now going to google, 'is santa reak' will report back. . . .

[zizza]

My children are now older teenagers, but they believed until they were at secondary school. They seemed to start doubting at about age 10, but we kept it doing for another year :)

[scarevola]

I can't actually remember with the boys!

DD is 7 and hasn't shown signs of doubts (yet), and the DSes are being lovely in making sure it isn't accidentally ruined for her by them - they're being so sweet about it, that it's one of my favourite Mummy moments right now (they'd both however kill me if they knew I'd just posted that!)

[Uglymush]

I still hang my stocking on the tree and it gets presents in it santa has to be real. I was 32 on Friday!!

[peeriebear]

DD1 still believes, so far as I know, and she is ten! We have tried to make things special though, and only one present is from Father Christmas (in different, fabulous paper and tied with string). DD2 is four and hasn't really got into the whole FC thing yet, she just likes the magic of the whole day.

[SouthernandCross]

My 8 and 9 year olds have doubts, but the 'if you don't believe, you don't get' line keeps them from telling their younger siblings.
We are going to Lapland for a few days just before Xmas , so that should help a bit, I think.

[BedatHogwarts]

Surely any child who can read would have twigged that maybe Santa doesn't exist. You only have to walk into a shop in the weeks before Christmas and you'll see big signs saying 'Stocking Fillers' which kind of give the game away.

[startail]

DD2 stopes believing in FC when she was 9 ( I guess big sister stopped believing at much the same age, but played along)
I never believed in Father Christmas, totally superstition free upbringing no god, no ghosts, fairies or FC ( mum did the tooth fairy, but we always knew it was mum)

[bigTillyMint]

DS stopped believing before DD! He was 7 1/2 and she was 9. They still pretend for me though