The truth about the big FC

[Catworrier]

My DC is only three and we have a long way to go until we break the news about Father Christmas.

Does anyone have a lovely way of doing this?

I've thought about when he asks, explaining that each person has someone who loves them and they have to be Father Christmas. It's their job to give that person some magic in their life. And when DC is old enough he can be Father Christmas to someone he loves very much too. Something along those lines.....

[Catworrier]

Lunch time bump!

[BillywigSting]

I had never really thought of this but that's a really lovely way of explaining it op, I'm stealing that!

[ShippingNews]

Sorry but although that sounds very sweet, it doesn't address the whole "North Pole, elves, sleigh ride" aspect of FC which is what kids are brought up to believe for years .

Honestly, most kids get over the FC thing pretty quickly. Kids at school tell them , siblings talk about it, friends spill the beans. You really don't have to tell her another story to make her feel better about it.

I just told mine that FC is a lovely story and that when we get older we give gifts to each other and spend time with our families. They were fine with that. Personally I wouldn't overthink it - you've got years before she starts to question it.

[ShippingNews]

Sorry - him not her !

[Happyspud]

You never tell them unless they are distressed demanding the truth. What you do is when the time comes that you need to communicate the truth to them due to age of being asked so directly it’s not right to keep it up, you say ‘of COURSE there is FC’ (wink wink) ‘but you’ll get nothing if you don’t ‘believe’’ (wink wink). And you clearly let them in on the secret without taking away their option to continue the fun.

[selfishjeanss]

Cuddled up together in bed one night, my then nine years old dd abruptly turned and said, ' i know Father Christmas isn't real, and neither is the tooth-fairy or god'. ..So that was that and she was fine with it...and I had always been one of those snowy footprints and sleigh bells kind of Moms

[WaxOnFeckOff]

Mine are 19 and 18 and we've never had the conversation, they clearly don't believe but never really seriously questioned it. I think the closest they came was when someone else has said that they didn't think He was real and that their parents bought the gifts. I just explained that if you don't believe then he doesn't come and then parents bought gifts themselves instead and they were welcome to not believe too. However did they really think that we'd be able to afford all the nice things that Santa brought? As they got older, I just stopped being so careful about different wrapping paper and also did the sunbathing above.

I still ask them for their santa list.

[TackyTinsel]

You won’t need to tell them. Eventually they’ll cotton on, usually a combination of other children at school talking about it and just eventually realising the whole story doesn’t make sense.

My DC both had a year where they weren’t sure and kept asking me if he was real. I just smiled and said very little, really. With DS, after his initial questioning he never brought it up again but it was clear he didn’t believe but liked pretending to buy in to all the magic. With DD, the following year to her ‘questioning’ phase she was very vocal and adamant that he isn’t real and liked saying it a lot (I think it made her feel grown up!!). They were both about 8 yrs old when they stopped believing.

[TackyTinsel]

Oh and my two are 15 and 11 now and they still like leaving out a mince pie for FC and all the little traditions around him. It’s a nice story.