to not want to admit that ds doesn't believe in father xmas....

[issysmilkbottle]

ds, aged ten is doing a pretty good job of 'believing' in fc this year, dh thinks he's too old to still believe as he'll be going to high school next sept, he's 11 in july....

We haven't directly said anything but dh has phrased questions etc that hint.... I know my dsd, 14 doesn't believe but we still gave her fc presents last year and dd, 4 weeks is too young to care...

Question is, do I continue the pretence this year with a stocking and sack for ds and dsd or do I label it all up from me and dh - this year they have lots of little pressies rather than a big one...

Advice? When did you guys tell/admit re fc?

If he wants to play along then why not carry on as you always have?

Neither of mine believe but we still put the presents under the tree after they have gone to bed.

play along! the deal when were growing up was that if we wanted stockings we had to pretend to believe in fc - kind of a family joke. so me and my brother would always come downstairs after opening our stockings, even when 13, 14 etc and say omigod, guess what FC gave us, he is so clever etc plus many jokes about whether FC would be too pissed remember to hang the stockings ... (we only had little fun bits and pieces in stockings though)

Oh keep doing it until he says something. Children grow up so fast, let him hang on to a bit of his childhood while you can.

My lot all know fc doesn't exist....but play along to keep me happy...I still believe!

I told them that even if they didn't believe in fc himself that was ok, but they were still allowed to believe in the 'magic'of xmas, which seems to have kept the xmas spirit alive and well in our house.

Eldest is nearly 13 by the way and still has a stocking at the end of his bed and a xmas sack to put his pressies in. All these are labelled from Mum and Dad, with some 'extras' left under the tree from FC.

thanks guys, that's what my gut feeling Is but dh keeps trying to say that he'll be teased etc... Think I'll point out that dsd has been getting fc pressies for past few years too... Oh and of course we'll need to keep it up for dd!

of course he knows at ten. It would be frankly worrying if he didn't! Unless he asks you not to I would definitely continue the FC stuff. All part of the fun.

I'm sure he doesn't talk about it with his peers btw. Having homely, secure little FC routines at home is a very different thing to announcing in the playground "I say chaps! Guess what good old Santa left for me this year?"!! So the teasing is a complete non issue imo.

My 11yo DD still believes...she's asd but in a mainstream secondary. I must admit though, I am kind of hoping she doesn't go to school and say 'look what Father Christmas brought for me'.....

I very much doubt a child of 10 or 11 really believes in FC.They may be playing along with it to keep you happy in which case they certaonly won't say anything at school

You have no need to play along when Father Christmas is real. .

My eldest is 8 and i am sure he still believes.

Presents from FC are in the stockings and I have just labelled then with their initials with silver stickers. Other presents are labelled from mummy and daddy.

DS is 9 and most definately believes. I kept the older ones going until at least 11. So continue with your tradition OP just incase he does believe and it would be ruined.

Father Christmas still leaves presents for me at my mums. Why are you all saying he doesn't exist?

I was still getting a stocking at 30

I still haven't actually had the conversation with DD yet and she's 14. I will never have the conversation with her. Of course she doesn't believe, but wth! I've just finished sorting her stocking out and I'm hoping she'll fall asleep before me tomorrow night, so I can sneak it in, in the dead of night! I'll probably not bother with the mince pie and milk this year though.

I'm not sure who's humouring who anymore! It adds to the excitement!

I never believed in FC.

But we used to do all the going to bed or else he won't come, stockings, carrots for the reindeer stuff. Children love your christmas traditions because they show how much you love them by all the effort you go to, especially the little touches. Not because they actually think an old man they don't know sneaks in and leaves them unlimited amounts of nintendo and dolls houses!

Are you living in cloud cuckoo land. Do you not think that other children in the playground say that FC is a lie. Did you not go to school, kids talk about everything and I means everything.

Its a case of reversal, they are trying to keep you happy. Just like when they will do the lying to you about stuff when you are deemed to old to be told the truth.

I still have a stocking at 65

i think we shall just go on and on , hey i like it too

Mine don't believe (never have really truly) but we still do the whole beer, mince pies, letters, keys, deal! Why not - it's fun!

I don't think all presents ought to be from Father Christmas anyway - they need to thank people for presents!

My dd is 8 and quite a few children in her class don't believe any more, one girl has been arguing with dd about it - dd really wants to believe, the girl in her class is almost using dd's belief against her.

I agree re going along with it, though I am dreading dd finding out, just because I think she could be upset we lied.

It's impossible to get through primary school and still believe in Santa. Although I think that many children happily keep up the pretence. As much as anything to keep their parents happy! But you don't have to believe in order to keep up the traditions of stockings, mince pies etc. As my 27 and 28 year old dss will confirm!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who wants to keep it going! I will tell dh to stop being a scrooge!

Must find the stockings tomorrow though....

I'm over 40 and my mother still wraps a few little things from Santa. It's part of family tradition and it's all about love.