Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

How to tell Ds Santa isn't real

88 replies

MsJamieFraser · 23/12/2016 20:47

Ds1 is 10, he still believes, (I think, he thinks if he doesn't not beleive he will get one less present however I think deep down he knows)

This will be his last Xmas in Santa... how did you tell your DC?

Ds2 is 7 so we still want him to believe, and ds1 will be OK with this.

OP posts:

sashh · 24/12/2016 02:41

Why is everyone on mn so obsessed with controlling when their dc find out this stuff.

Because they don't want their child to be laughed at when they say something at secondary school.

And last week a secondary school child was mocked for this, the situation was saved by a lovely TA.

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 24/12/2016 02:42

I don't think there's anything magical about it.
Well you're not a child are you.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 24/12/2016 02:48

How do you explain to a child why Santa gives better presents to children whose parents are better off?

Or do you go along with the concept of children being good or bad?

Keremy · 24/12/2016 03:00

Can i just add there are at least two 13 year olds who believe in Santa in dcs school. No bullying at all has occurred and not one of the other kids have told them.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 24/12/2016 03:09

I would be worried if I were the parent of a 13 year old who, assuming there were no issues of learning difficulties or special needs, genuinely still believed in Santa.

Sybys · 24/12/2016 03:21

I actually can't get my head around 13 year olds who still believe in Santa (surely they would have at least googled it by now?)

And I know people seem to have been irked by my comment that encouraging a prolonged belief in Santa as hindering a child's development but if those two 13 year olds are still being encouraged to believe by their parents, to the point where the children seemingly lack the common sense and critical thinking of most 8 year olds, I think that's an issue.

Original poster

MsJamieFraser · 24/12/2016 03:31

I want to tell him as I don't want him to be bullied, I remember being a kid in high school (I'm early 30) and a girl got teased really badly and her parents had to come and collect her as she was distraught at finding out and being mocked for still believing.

Il never want Ds to go through that.

I can't do the polar express as we got them a bell each last year and me and dh pretend we can't hear it ...

I've no idea what to do

OP posts:

Sybys · 24/12/2016 03:38

Honestly from your OP it doesn't sound like you have a lot to worry about, he's probably figured it out. Next time he asks you, either go for "what do you think?" or be honest.

Or maybe ask him to help with his sibling's stocking ahead of next Xmas. If he already has suspicions he's not likely to take it badly and will probably enjoy being part of the game.

thisagain · 24/12/2016 03:59

I didn't tell my DD22 and DD14, but once they were 10 and still believing, I got a bit more careless with hiding their siblings Christmas presents from Father Christmas from them and included them in conversations that made it obvious that I was doing the buying, I let them figure it out themselves, but once I thought they were pretty much there, I helped them along a little. It helped that in both cases, they had a baby in the house to maintain the myth for and we could just then carry on with the pretence with them included in it. I don't think my DS6 will be devasted when he finds out. I think he cares more about the presents than everything else and he won't care either way. He is already a lot more doubtful than the girls.

SomewhatIdiosyncratic · 24/12/2016 04:34

I put on a good act of believing from getting doubts shortly before my 8th birthday until I was 10. I still played along beyond that. I would suspect that that's quite a mainstream experience.

Last week we were queuing up at a little Santa's grotto and DS who was on the cusp of his 6th birthday asked it if was the real Santa. I asked him what he thought and he said that it was probably a helper. He's a very analytical, logical child.

I think society plays it up more than it did going back a generation. There's always been Santa's grotto, but they've been hammed up into winter wonderland experiences and breakfast with Santa, there's elf on the shelf spying (DS has got the notion of Santa spying with cameras from somewhere). I don't go much down the naughty and nice route (although I have told DS2 that he needs to stay in his own bed or Santa will get confused). I'm not sure that parents were so vested in how long children believed.

I've known children in years 7 and 8 thst sucked their thumbs in lessons. None of their classmates were bothered. If a child genuinely believes in Santa at that age and isn't just humouring the grown-ups, then there are probably wider issues with their belief/ logic systems.

debbs77 · 24/12/2016 09:29

Why would you????

TriniRedVelvet · 25/12/2016 00:35

Left this on another thread. Leaving it here too.

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/santa-spotted-flying-over-cardiff-12366614

Boogers · 25/12/2016 00:43

We've been tracking him on the NORAD website since lunchtime. Interesting conversation when it said he was over Mecca about 7.30ish!

Flip

1 2 3 4