Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Kid yelling Santa isn’t real at a Christmas party

129 replies

blipblopblip · 19/12/2025 19:55

So I took my 5 year old old to a Christmas party for age 3-8 , parents were to stay to watch their children. Santa came towards the end which we were not expecting, my daughter still believes. A slightly older child kept shouting Santa wasn’t real for a prolonged time 5 mins ish . Parents did nothing, staff were uncomfortable and tried to shush him. Honestly I feel so angry that the parents thought it was acceptable for him to try to ruin the magic for younger children. My daughter is very upset and keeps questioning me now. I know if it was my child I’d definitely have taken them out of the room and told them that if they were going to ruin the magic for others they don’t deserve a gift. I’m not a perfect parent but I find more and more occasions where it seems like there is no parenting going on. I have 3 children and she is my middle so I don’t think I am being precious but this evening I’m feeling so cross. Am I being unfair, is this normal parenting?

OP posts:
LynetteScavo · 19/12/2025 20:30

Well the Santa that visited the party wasn’t the real one, was he. He was just a “helper”. The real Santa only delivers on Christmas morning, and the child that ran around shouting silly things might not get a visit, which is a shame for them.

takealettermsjones · 19/12/2025 19:59

I'd have marched him out myself I think! Awful parenting.

modgepodge · 19/12/2025 19:59

I think this is easily rescued - just say the boy was shouting that THAT Santa isn’t real, and actually he is right, that man is one of his helpers cos the real Santa is busy in the North Pole getting ready for Xmas.

i do agree though and if it has been my child I definitely would have removed him and had a word. I think as soon as a child discovers the truth about something like that they also need to be told to keep it on the down low around younger kids. I was a teacher of y5/6 and if any of them revealed they knew I always used to ask them to keep schtum around the younger ones in a ‘matey’ kind of way so they felt like they were in on the secret.

GrooveArmada · 19/12/2025 19:58

Another product of upbringing without telling them 'no'.

Swipe left for the next trending thread