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Original poster

Been waiting for a chance to ask this!

43 replies

saltire · 02/10/2006 14:33

DS1 is 8.6 years and DS2 is 6.10 years.
At what age would be the best to tell them the truth about you-know-who? I cannot remember how old I was when i found out. I feel this may be the last year that DS1 believes, but am a bit confused as to how to deal with it, and how/when to tell him
DH says to leave it as they will find out at school, and i'm also worried that DS1 will tell DS2.
Any parents of older children who have "Been there", i would greatly appreciate some advice, especially about what is the best age to tell them

OP posts:
magnolia1 · 02/10/2006 14:36

I never told mine. Dd1 is 11 and has known since last year. The other 3 (twins age 7 and 1 age 3) still belive and I like to keeo the magic going as long as possible

Original poster
saltire · 02/10/2006 14:57

That's like me magnolia, i want to keep the magic for as long as possible. I feel that at 8 and 6 they are still young enough to believe. I am a bit worried about some of the older children on the street telling them though.
How did your older child find out then? Has she made any threats to tell the younger ones?

OP posts:
iarose · 02/10/2006 15:01

i am so pleased that there are kids in junior school out there who still believe - it means hopefully mine have a good few years left! I want mine (6 and 4) to believe as long as possible, it's such a magical thing. I can still remember how exciting it was going to sleep on xmas eve thinking Santa would really come to our house in the night! love it!

adevilknownasheavenis · 02/10/2006 15:02

Ds1 aged 7 asked me if I believed in you know who I asked why,he said a teenager on holiday said he was dead. I told him the teenager was being silly and it's what he believes in that matters.

dmo · 02/10/2006 16:22

dont tell them let them figure it out themselves
mine are 9 and 10 and i think this will be the last year

pointydog · 02/10/2006 17:17

They'll find out at school. DD1 was 9 last year and I could tell she didn't believe any more but she didn't want to openly say it. But if she started any faces when dd2 was about I shot her a look.

We knew where we were both coming from!

alexsCURSEDMUMMY · 02/10/2006 17:19

don't tell them-let them figure it out for themselves in their own good time.

MarsLady · 02/10/2006 17:21

I never ever told mine about ykw, but by the time they got to school they all believed. What's been lovely is that as each of them have found out that ykw really doesn't... ykwhat... they've never told the younger ones and in fact have become more and more elaborate in their ways of keeping ykw alive! Does that help? lol

KTeepee · 02/10/2006 17:24

DD (9) found out at school sometime in the last school year - BUT she told ds (5) and I was NOT impressed. Had to pretend to him she was playing a trick on him (and yes I know that's a lie but I want to keep it going a bit longer!)

hunkermunster · 02/10/2006 17:25

Surely only children who believe in FC get presents from him?

MrsScareyFish · 02/10/2006 17:26

mine have never belaived
i dont lay it on thingck
ds1 is 8 adn he knows

magnolia1 · 02/10/2006 17:55

Dd1 found out at school and I managed to convince her it wasn't true but it only lasted another year

mummydoc · 02/10/2006 18:14

what do you mean he doesn't exist ??? ...is this a cruel mumsnet joke.... if he doesn't who eats the mince pie and drinks the brandy

Debbiethemum · 02/10/2006 18:43

I read somewhere (think it was libby purvis), that the story she used was that ykw ONLY comes to those children who still believe, once they stop believing Mummy & Daddy do the stocking so the children are not to upset, but it's not quite the same is it

Morgan · 02/10/2006 18:59

My ds announced to me last year at the tender age of 4 that ykw didn't exist because someone at school had told him. I persuaded him otherwise by askiung him" who brings the presents then?". I would like it to go on for another couple of years at least.I am surprised in a good way at some of the ages of those who still believe, in this day and age it is nice to think they can still be innocent!

stoppinattwo · 02/10/2006 19:21

i knew quite early on as i had older brothers n sisters, but never cracked on that i knew as i realised it would mean a huge reduction in the number of presents i would get

Sunnysideup · 02/10/2006 19:22

I think this is one of those things in life that we need to think about in our own way and in private - I'm pretty sure I knew before I was 8, by the way; it's something that seems to organically grow as your understanding of the world grows....but I sort of seamlessly went from childish belief to playing along with the magic of it all just because it was so lovely....

Just leave it, don't 'tell them' - let them construct their own beiefs that they want to hold onto, in their own way....

mummymic · 02/10/2006 20:02

i found out when i was about 10 - my mum made so much noise filling up the stocking! and she didnt do it early enough - i always got up at 2......so excited!!
my ds1 is 18 and i had to tell him when he went to high school...think he still believed!!
now got 2 more babies - 2 and 5 months so can keep the pretence a little longer!

foxtrottingtotransylvania · 02/10/2006 20:24

DS1(4 last xmas) understands that the santas who,say, visit the preschool party or are in shops, are working for the real santa who is far to busy supervising the elves at the north pole...but on xmas eve it is the real one who zooms around the world. Do i get a prize for the first annual mention of NORAD Tracks Santa?

foxtrottingtotransylvania · 02/10/2006 20:26

BTW i wasn't entirely sure of his non-existence until i was 18 and got home on xmas eve after santa had been (ie after my mum had given up waiting for me and gone to bed herself

bananaloaf · 02/10/2006 20:32

omg santa is not real all these years i believed.

nikkie · 02/10/2006 20:35

DD1 is 6.10 and dd2 is 5.1 and they both believe despite some kids trying to tell dd1 last year.She''l believe in anyone that gives her stuff though

PopsP · 03/10/2006 12:32

DS is 10.5, I think I will have to tell him this year as I don't want the kids taking the mickey out of him when he gets to high school next year !
Although he is bright and questioned how ykw could get around the world in one night, he is a big fan of Harry Potter and all things magical, so he thinks there is some sort of magical time travel involved !

UniSarah · 03/10/2006 22:06

I'm not intending to lie to DS about YKW, I'm happy to tell him theres a story about santa and one about St Nick as well.Why do we lie to our kids about this one but not about the back combed beasties in the bog? or the bears that eat you if you step on teh cracks in teh pavement.

badkarma · 03/10/2006 22:13

Because backcombed beasties in the bog, and bears that eat you are evil, SC is not

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