to think that a child who believes in Santa beyond 6/7ish is either...

[santaslayer]

a bit naive or a bit dim?

I'm neither a troll nor 2bubs4me so no hunting.

I dont remember ever believing in Santa, and I remember quite a lot from my pre-school years. I knew the size of the Earth, the number of people and the impossibility of the logistics of 'Santa'. I also knew better than to beleive everything my parents said .

My DS is basically the same. I understand that 3yo's believe - it's cute, but I think it's a bit creepy when 8+yo's still do.

But I would never actually criticise a parent for having such deluded sheltered DCs.

6 or 7 is really very young still, so of course they can believe, especially an oldest child. DC1 asked last month if he was real, I asked "what do you think?". The answer "Yes, I think so". We left it at that and everyone is happy.
so another first

What a thoroughly nasty OP. And a stupid and sweeping generalisation too.

And OP - in my opinion, name-changing to post this nastiness DOES make you a troll.

"However, it doesn't automatically follow that a child who doesn't believe at that age isn't having a lovely childhood."

I concur with Tangoer. There seems to be an odd backlash that says that because your children tell you that theybelieve you are doing something better than the parents whose children do not.

Actually believing that Father Christmas is a real person who delivers presents is naive. The question is really whether it is unusually naive or whether it is exactly as naive as a 6/7 year old should be.

And TA whether naive is necessarily a negative trait.

I have posted already in sheer .

The more I look at this the more this feels like a wind up.

Let's see how they all react when I post 3 derrogatory remarks about their kids because it's a guarantee shit and fur will fly.

FGS

Weirdo.
(@ Op)

I think Kids older than 6 or 7 who believe in santa do so because they trust their parents not to lie to them.
i do actually think there is something wrong about a child of 8 or 9 believing.

My ds is 10 and still "believes". He is a bright and intelligent kid who is still enjoying his "innocence".

he has had a disucssion with me about Santa and the story of "The Polar Express" (which we saw a fee years ago) and we agreed that the magic of Christmas lasted for as long as you wanted it to. It didn't matter if Santa was real or not - but that it was good to beleive in the things that were nice.

I think in his heart of hearts he knows that Santa is not real - but that it is good to go on beleiving in something that makes you feel good.

DS2 is 9 and still believes; and I haven't 'pushed' it or gone on about it in any way - just stuck with putting the food out on Christmas Eve and sprinkling fairy dust where he's 'been.'

His brother and sister still believed at this age as well, as I'm sure did a lot of their friends.

I don't think it means his childhood is any better or worse than anyone else's, but I don't see how it's something to be sneered at.

OP reminds me of the mean cool kids in school - every so often you come across someone who hasn't moved on from this stage and is bringing their kids up to follow in their footsteps!

i believe in santa and so do my kids!

Oh do F off and pick on someone your own size.

"I think in his heart of hearts he knows that Santa is not real - but that it is good to go on beleiving in something that makes you feel good."

I think we may be working from different definitions. In my book that doesn't count as believing. Believing is when you actually think something is real, not when you think something is quite nice and it would be lovely to pretend that it is real.

The point is that I don't know: he has still written a heartfelt letter to Santa, was overjoyed when he got a reply and, as I say, enjoys the magic.

I am not going to probe in detail as to whether, in his heart of hearts, he does still beleive. I was just (with my adult head on) surmising that if challenged, he may admit to knowing that he doesn't exsit. But I am certainly not going to take the risk that I mgiht puncture a belief that is indeed still 100% intact.

This is a wind -up .

Shame on you OP :(

Sethstarkaddersmum, great post of 10.52. Nail on the head (several nails even).

"the whole Father Christmas thing doesn't deserve to be taken as a token of whether you are a lovely warm person or joyless and unimaginative IMO"

I dunno. I think it's a pretty accurate measure. IME people who share the OP's attitude have invariably tended to be joyless and mean-spirited and I pity their inability to enjoy the magic of children's imagination, especially on Christmas morning.

My elder daughter is 10 and knows what really goes on, but keeps up the pretence for the sake of my 7 year old younger daughter who still says she believes (though she did ask why last year the presents from my wife and me were wrapped in the same paper as those from Santa - schoolboy error, I know! ) The Christmases since they were old enough to understand the Santa story have been the most enjoyable I've ever had and I can't help thinking it won't be quite the same once the younger one no longer believes.

'sprinkling fairy dust where he's 'been.'

OMG can't he use the toilet!

Mine are 6 and 3 and the 6year old definitely still believes. And why every should he not?? I think even when the penny drops a lot of DCs like to pretend to themselves that FC still exists, cos it's just a lovely thought. A mean, mean OP, and Christmas is no time for meanness!

Those who say you insist on forcing your child to believe or talking bollocks too

My DS (5.8) told me that Santa (we had seen at the shop wasn't real) was jsut a man dressed up and not real, and my heart skipped a beat. I just replied 'oh really? Why do you say that?'
He explained that it was obvious cos he didnt look anything like the REAL Santa that DS saw at school. Phew!!

then when he asked me how Santa did it all, I just said I didnt really know, and I suspected it was magic. He is now firmly believing again, without me having to indoctrinate him or force anything onto him at all