If you send your kid to secondary school still believing in Santa the resulting fallout is on your head

[Stripitout]

Try and weigh up how important your Christmas magic is against your kid being mercilessly teased when their peers find out they still believe

There are LOADS of pagan traditions that people adhere to.

And if you want a non Christian deity lots have birthdays on 25th December, usually mum is a virgin too. Here's a few, but there are more.

HORUS

BUDDHA

KRISHNA

ZARATHUSTRA

HERCULES

MITHRA

DIONYSUS

THAMMUZ

HERMES

ADONIS

Also Chanukah starts on the 25th December this year.

There's no need to tell children anything. They find out by themselves. Mine didn't get bullied. When I was a kid, it wasn't spoken of in school. Stop ruining the magic and let them be children.

My parents didn't tell me, and I haven't told my children. I feel sorry for those who have no magic in their lives. Even now I say if you don't believe you don't recieve.

I would agree except my own DC got upset with me for 'lying' about the tooth fairy!!...but then I am on Mumsnet 🤣

I’m not sure if my 10 year old still believes or if she’s just going along with it. Not sure how to bring it up with her incase she does still believe and I ruin Christmas for her! She starts secondary next year.

Told my children before they started year 7. DD loved playing the big sister still keeping it alive for her little brother for 3 more years - they then found out about the tooth fairy and Easter bunny too - it was fine

How dare we to enjoy and celebrate Christmas with our family and not to believe in God.
We should all burn in the hell.🤣🤣

Sister in law has never let her children believe in Santa as she didn't want to tell them lies

I remember. I was 6 and distraught at having been lied to by everyone, and then forced to maintain the lie for my younger sibling. DH remembers similar. (We’re both ND.)

I never ‘officially’ told my dc that Santa wasn’t real. They both knew well before secondary though , with the oldest keeping up the pretence for his brothers benefit whilst he was young enough to still believe. I think it is rare to get to aged 11 and still think Santa is real. Playground chat in juniors tends to put an end to most things.

DCs were both furious with me for a couple of days when I had to tell them in yr 6 about first the tooth fairy then Father Christmas. In addition to lying I was too convincing apparently! Elder DC still brings it up years later during arguments and says she was traumatised by finding out. I fully expect her to put "she lied about Father Xmas" in my obituary! 🙃

I hate to say it but I agree. School busses can be really brutal places, I remember the description Lord of The Flies on wheels which was kind of perfect. It shouldn't be this way but you just can't send them to secondary school unprepared in many ways.

DD could never understand the concept of it, and has grown up fine without Santa, the tooth fairy or Easter bunny. (ND)

My friend’s so was absolutely terrified of the thought of anyone coming into the house at night. I’m not sure why people assume every child wants to believe in it. It’s got to be for the adult’s benefit more than the child’s.

Clearly an 11 year old who needed to be told that mentioning it out of the house isn’t a good idea.shame for them but mine have all known well before high school…I have 4 kids and never told any of them it just organically happens, they realise it’s just some magic. My elder 2 very much kept the magic alive for their little brothers, and now they have younger siblings with dad so they are still ‘believers’ (also have a young cousin) my younger 2 are 13 and 14 and clearly know but we still feed the reindeer put snacks out for Santa and have stockings and a Santa pressie it’s just fun and we keep it alive for younger cousins and siblings

What a strange take , we are a Christian family and my 12 year old still believes in Father Christmas.

How has 11 year old not figured it out?? I never said a word about it but collared my eldest on his own at around 9 and asked him if he still believes. He laughed and said no so we had a chat about keeping the magic alive for the little ones. I haven't asked my middle one who's 9 now but I asked my eldest and he said no he doesn't believe anymore 🤣 I think my 6 year old has figured it out too as she told me I'm the tooth fairy the other day. I'll be glad when they all officially don't believe, I don't need to sneak around as much then!

What do you mean Santa’s not real?

Well there is the whole pre Christian thing of bringing in the green and lighting up the darkness.
Then there is coming together and enjoying good food and treats.
And then giving gifts.
Christmas specials on the telly.
Time off work.

If you think that everyone who celebrates Christmas is religious or believes in God or Jesus then you are rather deluded. My Hindu friend puts up her tree on the first of December. I don’t think god or Jesus are getting much of a look in at her house.

I also agree. My sister tagged dn in social media post meeting Santa last year at age 12 and I cringed for him.
The teasing kid sis wring but don't set them for it!

More surprising to me than a child still believing is not having any social awareness at all that even if they believe they'll probably be made fun of if they talk about it. Children with SEND aside, by Y6 most children have realised it's not particularly cool to talk about Santa with the excitement that Y1s do.

At the school fair this week there is a Santa’s grotto. I was surprised at the number of year 6 children who have got tickets.

@Stripitout "kiraric
Surely there aren't really 11 year olds who believe in Father Christmas?

No - there really are!!"

We'll. there bloody well ought not to be!

For a lot of people, it's a fun celebration with your loved ones, good food, presents, and twinkly lights.

There is a lot of people's christmases that don't have anything to do with religion.

Before christians, there were pagans who celebrated the middle of winter. Twinkly lights, food and presents, loving thy neighbour etc aren't solely for christians.

We have a very happy little atheist Christmas in my house.

Parents who allow their children get to secondary school believing in Santa are doing them a huge disservice. What a dreadful thing to do.

I told mine this summer (10 and 8) but they are choosing to still talk about Santa etc this xmas. It's brilliant because we have 'the magic' but I know they won't make a tit of themselves on the playground!