To believe DS (9) still believes in Father Christmas?

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I found out at age 7 or 8 myself which I always thought was pretty late. DS (9) still talks about Santa like he genuinely believes in him.

Is this normal? DS is a pretty switched on kid so sometimes I wonder if he actually knows Santa isn't real but plays along to it because he maybe thinks he needs to in order to get presents?

At what age did your DCs find out the truth and how?

Is there a gentle way to break the news so the child doesn't feel betrayed if it goes on for too long?

I had to tell my 11 year old this year that Santa wasn't real as I didn't want her going into secondary school and having the mickey taken, but we told her that Santa was the spirit of Christmas and that's what made it special, that she's now part of the grown ups and she needs to keep the secret for all of the younger boys and girls.
My 10 year old seems to still believe, but we're not sure if it's more of a front, I will tell him the same next year as well.
Luckily we have lots of younger cousins and childrens friends so they can see how exciting it is for them and still make it special.

I'm basing it on memories of my own childhood, my sister's childhood friends, my cousins and their friends (who lived in a different country) and the machinations of my own children (the next generation, reared in a different country to me) and their friends from other families/backgrounds. All equally vicious, to my untutored eye! Hence my generalisation.

10year old here who still believes.

But we did accidentally bump into an epic santa who guessed ds age. Santa had a green costume and a very fancy winter timepiece which made ds believe he's real for at least another year

My 9 year old dd believed in it all, tooth fairy (even though she was a bit crap and sometimes late) FC, dragons, faeries etc. Until she found her teeth and tooth fairy letters in a drawer - she was absolutely devastated, and asked for the truth. I had to tell her that TF was me, FC was me etc. I'll never forget her saying "so there is no magic in the world"
I know FC is me, TF is me. But have no proof that faeries and those of their ilk don't exist so for me, and her, there is still magic in the world.

I think my 10 year old DS still believes, he's never questioned it so I can only assume. We've said that we will tell him before he goes to high school. My 9 year old DN came out and asked my DSIS and she told her the truth but she's been warned not to tell my DS.

my 9 year old has been questioning for years, a boy told them all in year 2 he wasnt real and it was parents

I just keep being vague, I would never break the news, unless she came to me in a state for some bizzare reason.

I see finding out as a rights of passage sort of thing. Mine isn't sure, and I hoping we are still in same limbo next year as we are going to lapland uk. I would also assume many of his class mates still believe - which is helping to carry it on. Its highly unlikey he would believe if he was surrounded by dc who knew. Let it fade out naturally.

Many years later, when she was in her 20s, she told me she'd been absolutely dying for me to deny it, so she could go on believing a little longer!

^^ of course thats so sad but sweet.

I remember waking up one xmas eve night and going to living room and in hazy sleep fog saw dm doing my stocking, the poor thing she looked soooo upset but I went back to bed and told myself it wasnt real and it was FC and that he was real and I could hear the bells....perhaps he dumped the stocking on the floor and dm was just hanging it up.

Mine are 8 and 11, and still believe - with some encouragement from me. I'll be sitting them (or the 11 yo) down at some point next year and letting her know the truth though, as she has ASD and if she finds out at secondary school, in public, we can't guarantee what the reaction will be. I'd rather be there to answer any questions.

My 11 year old still believes, and Christmas is all the lovelier for it.

My son definitely isn't playing along. He still 100% believes

I asked about sex at 6 but still believed in FC.

My son is 8 and I think it is more of a natural progression rather than just asking. (If he tells my 4 and 3 year old however he will get a lump of coal!)

I am now wondering what he actually knows about sex related stuff......hmmmm

I can't help but think that all the hype around Christmas and elf on the shelf and fake snow etc is making it harder for kids when they do find out the truth, as the lie has been so monumentally constructed.

In my day, we got a stocking and were told about FC and that was it. When we stopped believing there wasn't as much to get upset about.

but when an 11 year old watches the news and sees Syrian kids starving and crying don't they ask if Santa visits them? Mine questioned God and all things at that age.

Mine were probably 5/6 when they stopped believing but we are a pragmatic bunch and no way would mine belive at 11 one bloke coukd fly round the world giving presents to every child.

Not criticising anyone else but find it incredible that a child going to high school coukd truly belive it.

i knew by 10 and pretended till 11 to make my mother happy .just give them time

when the time does come i remember someone wrote a beautiful letter for their child as below

Some years 7's asked me yesterday! About half the class still seemed to be believers!

My friend was a massive Nirvana fan when we were 12-13. He still believed in Santa after Kurt Cobain killed himself. Imagine simultaneously processing those two realities.

Mine are 16, 18 and 19 and still believe, as in - they've never asked and I've never said. FC delivers our presents and they only appear under the Christmas tree once everyone's gone to bed on Christmas Eve. We leave a mince pie and sherry for FC and carrots for the reindeer. It's certainly magical for the whole household to come downstairs on Christmas Day and be surprised by what they see under the tree. Should that magic ever go, I'll be very disappointed.

Ah, chitoff, that is what I told my eldest who was devastated by the realisation. That I have no proof that FC and TF are not real, just that I fill teh stockings and retrieve the teeth because that's what my mum & dad did, so I wanted to make sure the magic lived on.

39 and I still believe!

I think you are being fooled.

Mine never "believed" in Father Christmas, in that they always knew that he wasn't a real person but an imaginary character in a story, just like the Gingerbread Boy, the Mister Men and Peter Rabbit.

I never believed! Couldn't believe other children at school were so naive, even in reception. I'm always shocked that so many Mumsnetters think their child believes.

I never believed in Father Christmas, was always doubtful about the tooth fairy, but completely 100% believed that a human sized rabbit creature entered our house and left chocolate eggs in hiding places.

It's nice our DS still believes as it's a magical time and they are only children for a short time. Having said that I think by senior school he needs to know so some huge hints being dropped here. Although so far to no effect!

sugarlightly

Ha ha love it

roseteapot

Love that letter