How on earth do your children still believe in Santa?

[mauvish]

As the title says. I get the impression that people think that their DC still believe in Santa right up to secondary school age.

How? When the answer to every question in the world is a few computer clicks away? When they will hear from other children at school?

I remember asking my mum outright when I was about 7 or 8, (about yr 3 I think) and that was because I was being teased mercilessly at school for being one of the last to still believe in Santa. Part of the reason that I still clung onto the belief is that I'd heard bells one Xmas night when I was awake (actually this was probably tinnitus secondary to my chronic glue ear but I didn't know that at the time! and convinced myself it was Father Xmas!). I also remember my daughter being told the truth by another child in front of me at school drop off when she was about 5 or 6.

So how on earth are children supposed to still believe in FC (etc) until a much later age nowadays, when in so many other respects they are far more wordly wise at a younger age?

Haha I often think this too.

Immaturity? Cosseted British children?

Mine believed until she was 11. She had no access to the internet before secondary school and when she asked me, I just replied with, "What do you think?" She chose to believe and had no external factors to go on. I've posted before that MN assumed she had learning difficulties or was just 'a bit thick ' but she just genuinely believed in the magic. I loved that and had no problem with it.

DS only started asking in year 5 and said "I don't think he's real" I said "well if you don't believe, he might not bring you presents". So he decided he believed. He knew last year in year 6 he wasn't real though.

Depends who their friends are really and what they believe. Also, he never had Internet access without us there so couldn't have searched it up beforehand.

Apparently the year 6 children have been telling our year 3 children he isn't real and most of the class are concerned about this as they still believe.

Mine didn't believe by last year. Just off his own bat I think. About the same time he declared he didn't believe in God. He's of a scientific bent.

Mine have all admitted to me they knew before they told me. My 10 year old admitted he knew when he was 7. I'm glad he only just told me as it doesn't feel as magical this year with no believers, no visit to santa, no reindeer dust or plate left for santa, the presents are all already under the tree, no elfs. So, I'd of been gutted to have known when he was 7 he didn't believe.

11 years of age and believed in Santa!

Sorry but that just makes me cringe. 😬

Just because they don't believe why wouldn't you leave a plate for Santa?

My DF carried on as usual, it was still 'magical' as we were doing it together and I would drive him mad trying to stay awake as long as possible as I knew it was him and he wanted to go to sleep, not sneak in my room with presents.

I knew at 6 and played along till 11. Most of the time I think kids know but they don’t want to ruin the magic. Parents are naive.

I had to tell both of mine when they got to Y6. I don't think they ever really questioned the general viability of magical beings - Easter bunny and tooth fairy included. Maybe they were just credulous, but it didn't seem right to send them off to secondary school with that 'vulnerability'

I think there is a difference between really believing whole heartedly and suspending disbelieve enough to enjoy everything that goes with it. My 7yo has almost certainly has had suspicions but wants to believe so finds ways to rationalise it. She’s a child with a deep imagination so it is easy for her to combine stories and reality. My other one is 4 and has a solid belief but is much more logical in nature so suspect she may be more black and white about Santa existing or not when the time comes.

My son made it until 10. He's quite innocent, but it was the Portable Noth Pole PNP video calls that tricked him. We relied very heavily upon that strategy. He was so used to video calling friends and family across the world that the whole thing felt plausible. And the PNP videos always present lots of technology to help Father Christmas achieve his delivery. My daughter is 8 and still very much a firm believer. Quite a few in her class have been to Lapland, so that has helped perpetuate the myth.

I believed until I was 7. But then, it was far less plausible back then when Santa had to rely upon flying reindeer and we were subjected to a shit grotto in Debenhams cafe in a cheap polyester uniform and unconvincing northern accent.

I think that parents are more heavily invested today in keeping up the facade, especially when kids are forced to grow up so quickly.

How rude. And how depressing. How depressing for you to think it's 'cringe' for a child to believe in the magic of Santa at 11 years old.

@mauvish It's easy enough for children to believe in Santa, until a reasonable enough age if you help them believe, and you ignore people who CRINGE if children still believe in Santa by 10-11 y.o. Some children just believe the magic more, and for longer. Why is it 'cringe?'

I think this post is so desperately sad: snide cynical people looking down on children for being children.

As others have said, I don’t think they really do “believe”, but they enjoy the theatre of pretending.

Why not let them, childhood is short and adult life is quite lacking in magic and theatrical fun.

My 8 year old would have no access to Google or any device so that sorts that.

The older kids in our school would never ruin it for the younger ones. Santa visited this week and they showed just as much excitement at the experience as the younger kids.

DD 10 doesn't have a phone yet or any unsupervised access to internet. She says some in her year don't believe and I just say that's a shame isn't it.
We've never tried to tell her any of the Santas you see in grottos are the real thing which I think helps as they see through all that a mile off. If she really does believe then I'm sure this will be the last year of it but it's been lovely 😍

My DS knew that some of the other kids at school didn't believe. But he still chose to believe because he thought it was a bit like God - some people believe in God, others don't, either is fine.

Well I'm a primary school teacher.

I was astonished today when I realised that most of my year class still believe. And those who might have doubts/know otherwise, kept very quiet.

It was lovely tbh.

I think my 12yo wants to believe and 9yo still does.

My sister and I still left out a tipple and a mince pie for Santa when we were older teens and would come back later in the evening having been to the pub and consume them ourselves. It's all part of the fun.

I still believe!
Most of the kids I know are about 9 or 10 so not that far off secondary. If you don't believe, you don't get!
I always thought it was really sad when my very spiteful SIL told her 5 year old son that he wasn't real so she didn't have to bother going to FC visits/wrap presents in different paper etc. I have such fond and magical memories of childhood christmases

I agree.

My 12-year old DS still believes (not sure about the 9-year old). He has autism & ADHD & is mentally about 8 or 9. He wakes up every morning & asks if he is on the good list. We are happy to let him continue believing for as long as he wishes. He is at MS secondary school & his friends know he believes & let him, they also embrace his differences in other way. He is a well-known figure at his school who everybody likes & is so lovely to, teachers & pupils alike.

That's really lovely ❤️

I knew from about 6. There were various discussions at school from year 1 about who still believed, by year 3 no one did (or possibly no one admitted it) but a the very least everyone knew it was in doubt.

However I still put out the mince pies and played along with the game until I was a teenager. I didn't tell my mum I didn't believe until I was about 10 and went through a know it all phase of "I can prove he's not real because of x, y & z" but then I got over it and went back to playing along, saying "oh I hope santa brings me this" in front of my mum etc.

Year 5 class.