Does your 9/10 year old still believe in Santa?

[pinkponie]

My DD1 is 9, will be 9.5 at Christmas. She currently still believes in Santa, at least she says she does. A lot could change between now and Christmas I guess but I really hope I get another Christmas with her believing. Does anyone else with dc that age still believe?

At what point though are men expected to take responsibility for their own behaviour and not blame mummy? Excusing men's behaviour by blaming other people, especially women, is part of the problem.

I think the parents who expect their kids to believe until 11-12 are probably the same who take their kids to Disney. Then they have to have the ‘talk’ about FC etc.

It’s fine to play along but I genuinely don’t get how any NT* child gets past about 7 lacking the common sense required to work it out. Or doesn’t realise it’s their parents they have to thank for making the ‘magic’ and buying them a shit ton of presents.

*Actually I was ND and never really believed so it’s not just NT kids.

Well tell that to the men who have been over indulged until adulthood. Of course it’s their responsibility but they haven’t taken responsibility for their own behaviour for most of their lives and have been kindly indulged by mummy so why would they?

Oh yes, I don't doubt that a large proportion of early Santa skeptics are in fact ND, I just mean that if your child has severe LD they might still believe in Tinkerbell in their teens and that wouldn't be an additional concern.

We've never done Disneyland but last year we went to Lapland. DD was 5 and believed in it all, but SD was 16 and had just as much fun playing with the elves. It would have been magical even if neither of them had thought it was real.

Hopefully she will remember the trip when she’s older.

A 16yo playing with the elves? Was is to keep her SS happy?

Then, as the quote says, you will never find it.

No, we all played with the elves, because were having fun and playing pretend! If you're a hundred odd miles north of the arctic circle and a singing, dancing elf throws a snowball, you don't have to genuinely believe that they're going home to the toy workshop that night to throw one back and join in the carols.

In my experience (5 dc) they keep it going for the sake of their parents around about age 8, 9, having understood!

You Can’t find anything that doesn’t exist. 🙄

Okay - well you do you and all that. I don’t get it but then I didn’t like Christmas as a kid so I sure as hell wouldn’t be having a snowball fight with someone dressed as an elf 🤷‍♀️

@LiviaDrusillaAugusta Blimey. No shit you didn’t like Christmas 😵‍💫

No I didn’t. And I probably had as good Christmases as most.

One minute it’s all lights and fun and games and the next it’s all put away and more depressing than it was before they were put up.

See also holidays - two weeks in the sun might be fun but then you come back and it’s back to the grind which surely feels worse?

Mine does. She def is NT and 9 and believes

fc brings small pressie and stocking.

so it’s not like she pretends to still vets pressies

rest from me as I want her to know and appreciate I had to work hard for what she wants

not having a man in red taking credit for her main costly pressie 😂

There is magic in every day in my life. It’s much more enjoyable that way.

But the run up to both is part of the fun. We do a shop before Christmas called “fire it in” when my kids have a trolley in the supermarket and they can “fire in” what they want food wise. It’s bloody great fun. And after Christmas begins the countdown to birthdays. And the run up to holiday is the planning what you’re going to do when you get there and after holiday is the planning of the next. Bloody fabulous 😊

Sorry but the more excessive, the more depressing when it’s taken away. I don’t see how planning the next one is much consolation.

But then my ND makes me more pragmatic than most I guess.

When my dc were 6 and 9, the 6 year old told the 9 year the truth about Santa. The 9 year old is tight as anything and carried on believing for the sake of presents for a bit longer.

So the 6 yo worked it out first?

What does ‘tight’ mean in the context?

6 year old worked it out first.
Tight means mean with his money. He went along with FC for a few more years for fear of not getting a stocking full of sweets and toys! (He’s 17 now, he still gets a stocking. He’s still not very generous with his spending).

Ah I know it can mean stingy but wasn’t sure in this context.

I bet that saves you the cost of expensive presents then!

Sorry, what are you saying, Father Christmas is not real............................. I need a lay down.