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.

But - one thing I have learned is that I (and OP) am in a serious minority on this. I am very careful around other people's DC and enthuse along with their parents because I've realised - though it astonishes me - how much many parents want their DC to really think it's true.

My first ever [fbear] You wicked wicked person!

My DD is 12 and she still believes and she is in no way dim, in fact she wants to be an astronomer. She's worked it out in her own head that Santa can't possibly get all the presents sorted out himself so instead uses courier companies to help ease the load.

The other half of her argument is better though. Why the heck would NORAD track Santa, waste all that money watching empty sky if he didn't exist? He must do or they wouldn't do it

"my DS1 has just cried real, proper tears after I f*cked up a little while ago. He's 10. He really did believe 100%"

But baroquin - that's awful. To parents who encourage this genuine belief, don't you feel bad about setting them up to be let down like that?

Baroq - oh crap.

My DD2 knows there is a Santa

She also knows he stops coming to you when you are 18 and get the vote. That makes you a grown up

She is especially looking forward to Christmas this year as both of her big brothers will not be getting any presents from Santa only her and DD1 will be

a child is "a bit dim", "naive", "creepy", "deluded"

wow, nice thread

MadamDeathstare ..your post made me fill up [emotional]

You know what the whole santa thing has never been "intentional" in this house. He's always delivered all of the presents from me/friends/family and a very small token present from himself. But we don't leave stuff out for him to eat, or sprinkle dust for his foot print or anything. It just kind of happened.

I know he definitely stopped believing in the tooth fairy a couple of years ago as he's lost several teeth since then, told me, and that was the last I heard about them (that disbelief started when the tooth fairy forget for about 3 weeks to turn up, as she was very unwell at the time.....).

I suspect it would have been much less harsh on him coming from someone else (his peers at school for example) than from me.

To the OP. That is not a nice way to talk about children!

Marine, I believed until I was 9. I remember being a little disappointed to find the truth but wasn't devastated.

Baroquin, your ds will be fine. He has had 10 years of magic and will cherish those memories. It's hard now but he will be happy in the long run that he did believe.

My dd is 9, soon to be 10 and this is the first year there has been any hint of suspicion.

She is in the top set for everything and in a school full of high performers.

We live in a smallish village in the countryside and I am in no hurry for her to lose her naivety.

She has the rest of her life to live in a less magical world.

I think the op is one of the start a controversial thread for the laughs and fuck off types'

The OP is a cunt...ignore and carry on as usual!

I like naive children. Better that than little so and sos who think they know everything and are far too keen to inform you of it. And I'd rather have a dim child who believes in magic than a clever child with no soul.

Don't be horrible. My 2 are very streetwise go grew out of it at 4/5 but children should stay children for as long as possible, as long as they won't be teased.

Santaslayer, are you autistic?

But Marine - most children don't experience that fall. They normally find out gradually. They work it out and question it over time. I have never known a person in RL who are upset that their parents allowed them to believe in FC.

I hope DS believes in Santa for as long as possible. Christmas loses some of the magic when you stop believing.

What are you talking about!? Of course there is a Santa!

my 8yo DS chooses to believe. He is neither naive nor dim and I will support his choice for as long as I can.

I'm sort of with the OP

dd (7) believes, though her twin is beginning to smell a rat

I had no idea they'd carry on for this long. And now I'm really worried about when she finds out. She's going to think we're a right pair of cunts...

OP you have just called my child a bit naive, a bit dim, a bit creepy and deluded.

Never mind the biscuit. You can have my first fuck off.

(and MadameDeathstare's post made me well up too)

The magic of Father Christmas is real IMO. All those adults colluding together to make it happen. Even the TV and radio programmes don't give it away. Even the older children keep the secret.

Imagine trying to organise all that from scratch. Couldn't be done. That's magic enough for me.