What age to we have a conversation about Santa?

[Someonesayroadtrip]

Just that, at what age did you have the chat? I assume most children ask themselves and parents just decide it's the right time but my eldest is autistic and I'm not sure he will ask (I'm not convinced he believes either).

What age is he? Ds questioned from age 6 and knew from age 8 but that's early compared to some

DD asked age 9 - in May. So it seemed like the right time. Try not to say just before Christmas!

Eldest still appeared to believe at the end of Year 6 so I had a chat, turned out he hadn't believed for a while. Youngest is 8 and has asked this year (recently) and because it's just before I've lied as it doesn't seem like the right time. After Christmas I'm going to have the chat though.

My son has autism and is 12 (goes to specialist school) and I think he still believes, but I’m not sure if he is just playing along so he gets his presents. We had to sit our elder child down (also autistic, but in mainstream education) in the summer before he went to secondary and tell him that Santa didn’t exist (we did the puberty talk at the same time - so a far reaching conversation).

My daughters are all teenagers. Still waiting to have the chat!

Ok thanks. He's turning 10 this week. He's never seemed convinced and I've never really pushed it as I know it wouldn't go well if I lied directly to him. He's very logical, so I'm sure he doesn't but it's never come up.

His younger twin brothers still believe and they just turned 8, but one of them has autism too, but he's happy sucking his thumb and cuddling his dinosaur, I doubt he really even thinks about it. 😂

My 10 year old son was fine about it. I said, ‘do you believe in Father Christmas or not?’ as part of a conversation on Christmas related stuff.

He made a wry smile and shrugged, ‘noooo not really’. He was upset. I told him parents said this because it was a nice magical childhood story.

Both he and his 12 year old sister still think there are real dragons in Wales though
I’m not telling them any different. Maybe there is

He wasnt upset that should say.

We've never discussed it. I just told thrm that, if children don't believe, the parents take over and there, is a risk that the presents will be less exciting...

DS is 11 he still sort of believes. I've done too good a job of lying.

My DD7 asked me recently whether he’s real or not. I just said “ what do you think?” and let her chatter for a little bit.... she was clearly a bit doubtful but unsure either way. I remained quite neutral on the topic preferring her to reach her own conclusions at her own pace. She has already renounced the tooth fairy ( and fairies in general) but has stated that robins keep watch of children on behalf of FC so clearly she’s not quite ready to give up on him just yet.

Had the chat with DD a few weeks after her 10th bday. She asked as she said she wasn't sure as delivering the presents to all the kids seemed unbelievable. Also, her friends didn't believe any more. She thought it was hilarious that I've been biting Rudolph's carrot and drinking Santa's wine all these years 😂.

We told DD when she was 9.5/10 I think. We started with the Easter bunny (which is obviously ridiculous), to the tooth fairy being Daddy really and went on from there. Did it in the spring so lots of time to get over it before Christmas. We'd never gone big on FC anyway, but she was still quite sad. (Still is age 15).

I am 51 and my parents still haven't told me that Father Christmas isn't real (or that the tooth fairy isn't either!)

I didn't tell my DC about Father Christmas, the tooth fairy or the Easter bunny not being real. I just let them work it out for themselves like I did. The tooth fairy kept coming until they'd lost their last tooth and Easter eggs still appear magically in their bedrooms overnight :) Their Christmas stockings still get filled with presents while they're asleep too.

I don't know what age they realised any of them weren't real as we've never discussed it (they are 14 and almost 13 now) but I'm sure it was long before the end of primary school

My plan is never! I think we are gradually moving into the dc understanding that we are playing a game together, but I also suspect they will enjoy being able to choose to believe on Christmas eve for another couple of years.

My 9 year old has been skeptical for years
But I don’t want to ruin it for my 5 year old (or my 9 year old)
I told her if you don’t believe in Santa, he just doesn’t bring gifts to you anymore
So even if she doesn’t, she’s not letting into me!
We teach them to lie 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

I always said before high school.
In the end it was year 5

Had the conversation this summer with ds before he started secondary. Turned out he sussed it before Christmas last year but didn't want to say anything. He had had his doubts earlier but wanted to believe. Still doing the whole shebang though. The magic never really dies!

My autistic 10 yr old boy admitted he saw a video on YouTube that told him. He was gutted. Crying and everything. But it was a relief to have the chat. I've turned it around and he is now excited to being a secret Santa to someone if his choice and being on the other team, he got over the disappointment quite quickly x

Why do you need to have the chat? I agree with weary.

My children never said they didnt believe and we never had a chat. It was just assumed they knew really a but we had stockings til a couple of years ago when they weren't always wirh me xmas morning and we didnt want to confuse grandchildren. They were mid and late 20s by then! I liked doing them and they liked receiving them.

What?! He's not real?????

I'm 37. My mother still insists he's real and a stocking is still "delivered" every Christmas Eve for me. I haven't lived at home since I was eighteen.

I'm not sure if our 5yr old actually believes, as there have been searching questions this year.
We did recently find out that he assumed rainbows were made up 'like unicorns' so when we saw a real rainbow he was absolutely flabbergasted, though....maybe that gave Santa a boost?