When did your oldest stop believing?

[booklover164]

My August born 6 year old told me he doesn't believe in Father Christmas and I'm so sad. His two younger siblings still do. At what age did your oldest child stop believing? 6 seems really young to me.

My six year old has said he doesn't a few times this year, but we've just glossed over it. Santa is magic, that answers everything.

I pretended I believed to my parents for years!

Interestingly it was DS’s very childlike, matter of fact faith in God that led him to declaring that Santa couldn’t possibly be real. We have raised our DC in a family of faith - they didn't go to faith schools, but have spent their whole lives surrounded by people of faith.

6 years. A visit to a rubbish Santa (kept itching under his bedraggled fake beard) fed existing doubts. I thought we’d got away with it (we’d said the real Santa needs others to help at all the grottos etc), but evidently she quietly mulled over it until the following summer and sprung her thoughts on me during a 30°C+ heatwave! I was completely caught out, and didn’t put much effort into keeping the lie magic alive.

she loves ‘knowing’ when others don’t. I don’t think she’s missing out for knowing the truth early. It’s been a couple of years now, youngest hasn’t thought to question it, and oldest (fortunately) hasn’t spoiled things.

I have 6 dc, they were/

9
5
9
4
9yo still believes, but this will be her last year probably.
7yo stopped believing at 4

It will be weird having no santa in the house next year after 25 years.

So many of my friends seem to really believe that their tweens still believe. Which is crazy as they all have phones and Google in their pocket.

My daughter recognised Santas wrapping paper from previous years main presents…she was 5 😭She then proceeded to to tell me that it’s ok because she has told her little brother aged 3!! What a spectacular fail on our part with the present wrapping.
Their younger brother who is 4 years younger than the youngest believed until he was about 7.

Oldest-dd just turned 5 when she questioned it.
Youngest-ds 9 when he questioned it.
Now 12 and 10, we have all decided that disbelief does not stop 'wanting' to believe. So we believe in our hearts not our brains.

Wow

I don’t see how a 12 year old at secondary school can believe a man gets round every house in the world in one night. Their mates would take the mick? I’d tell them.
Maybe they are pretending to believe as worried they won’t get presents otherwise!

My eldest stopped about age 7/8 but I had quite a convincing video I got online which made it look like Santa in our house which kept her going til 8/9.
My youngest asked me at age 4/5 if it was parents. I did lie and say it wasn't🙈. A year later she fully believes and loves it it all! I don’t think I’ll have much longer though. They also know the Santas in garden centres etc aren’t real.

They’ll just be pretending to get presents! I had a friend who did that as she was worried her parents would stop buying stuff 🤣 we’d all laugh about it.

Exactly
Poor kid is going to get a shock in secondary school

This year🙁 he’s 8

My ten year old genuinely believes (he loves the whole mystery of everything) my eleven year old stopped believing when he was quiet young

My ASD eldest freaked aged 3 about a strange man in our house so I talked gently about St Nicholas and the magic of Christmas. 7yo DD still believes. But the big man doesn't get much credit in our house.

Both are adamant the excitement is seeing uncles, they even did a sign and a video!

I stopped believing at ten but here kids don’t start secondary until nearly 13 and it’s common that santy is still here (rural area)

6 I thought it was young but I guess they’re old enough to start questioning the logistics of santa. I thought I’d be sad but it was actually quite nice and rewarding because DC then was very appreciative of the presents knowing they were from me and family. I said well I buy the presents and send them to santa then he gives them back to me depending on how good you’ve been. Doesn’t buy it though lol.

This is the first year my DD11 knows about Santa and tbh it's quite sad. She's my only child and it does feel different. We have done all the things we usually do. However she's refused to visit any santas or acknowledge him 😂

When my son was 5 he confidently told me that Santa couldn't be real because it was impossible to make it around the world delivering toys to billions of kids all in one night. He also had issue with how those billions of toys would be carried😂

I think I was always skeptical of the whole Santa thing myself; I can't remember actually believing.

Still enjoy Christmas though!

Interestingly for us it’s the opposite. We are Christian so for us Christmas is predominantly about the birth of Jesus. The children’s church linked school leans heavily towards the religious not the secular elements of Christmas, as do most of the other parents. Many school families, like us, enjoy it as a fun story to play along with at Christmas and quite a few have nothing at all to do with it.

The families I know that push Santa/Father Christmas as a real person and make an effort to have their children believe in it and therefore whose children believe in it beyond very early childhood are all non religious.

My DD is 8.5 & definitely still believes in Santa & the elf.

My 12 year old only admitted he's stopped believing this year. Think last year he probably questioned it but we definitely made it to about 10 with him still believing. 6 does seem young.

Sorry, but your friends are delusional😂.

I think some kids know that their parents desperately want them to believe so they just go along with it.

Judging by Mumsnet, parents are often more invested in the fairytale than their little ones!

Oldest was 3, very matter of fact child who I suspect never believed. He never told another child though and played along to his sibling 🥰Youngest was 8, asked me directly and I asked what she thought, so she was the one who confirmed it to herself really.
Both still love Christmas, so it's not 'ruined the magic' or anything like that, they still have an amazing time ❤️

12 but I know MNers try to imply there later believing kids are thick 🤣

12? Seriously? Were you not concerned?