At what age do children stop believing?

[Whatsername17]

Dd1 is 6 and dd2 is 7 months. Dd2 will be 11 months at Christmas this year so a little too young to 'get' the whole Santa thing. I just want a couple of years where they both believe at the same time. What are my chances?

[SpanishFly]

Tilapia thank you. I think we'll need to have the conversation v soon 😭
Betrand, we definitely won't stop doing all the things we currently do. I remember being a teenager and my mum just handing the stocking round my bedroom door while I was still awake. But I always waited till the morning to open it 😊

[DamsonGin]

Bertrand, we intend to ask DS1 if he'd like to help choose something to put in DS2's stocking, we've even got an elf hat for him so he feels he's a more important part of it. TBH I think he'll find it quite amusing that DH and I spend Christmas Eve gnawing on a carrot, alongside the mince pie and brandy, as they always choose the biggest carrot in the fridge for Rudolph.

[ScrappyMalloy]

My oldest son who had to be told before secondary school (New shoes? check. Dinner money? - check. Told the secret about FC? - check.) is now 30, and still comes home for Christmas each year, and Father Christmas still leaves him a stocking, so no harm done.

With both sons who had to be told before secondary school, I think it was a combination of quite an unworldly class and no hints or slip ups from his parents, so nothing suspicious at home. They are both creatures of habit too, and one has very mild ASD, so that helped too.

I was surprised, as DD figured it out by Y5, and I personally knew from quite small (certainly by eight) but it happens. My sons weren't the only ones in their respective peer groups who had to be told

[BertrandRussell]

Please reassure me- you don't stop doing all the lovely Christmassy things when they stop believing, do you? You still do stockings and mince pies for Father Christmas and all the rest?

[Tilapia]

Spanish we just sat him down and told him! He was a bit gutted but seemed to get used to the idea quickly. Like yours, he'd heard of people not believing, but he just thought they were wrong!

[3perfectweemen]

My ds 10 still believes

[DamsonGin]

Mine still believe in the tooth fairy too. This is going to be a difficult conversation. Thank goodness we never entertained the idea of the Easter Bunny.

[SpanishFly]

Tilapia how did u break the news to him? We're in that position now. Have to tell him asap

[SpanishFly]

My DS1 just ignored anyone that told him it wasnt real 😍😂

[skyzumarubble]

Mine are just 6 and I think this will be the last year they truly believe - I hope they do still by December anyway!

There have been a few things mentioned by kids with older siblings at school especially about the tooth fairy.

[SheGotOffThePlane]

DS 9 found out about the tooth fairy earlier this year and then Christmas was about two hours after that
I thought we might get this year out of it but alas no. My mum did always say when they're asking then it's time to tell the truth. He did take it pretty well though.

[Tilapia]

We had to tell DS1 age 11 before he started secondary. He did truly believe until then.

[SpaghettiAndMeatballs]

DS1 is just 7, and last year I got the impression that he's purposefully not thinking about it - that he knows that if he did, he'd have to admit to himself he did know...

[SpanishFly]

It's how you deal with it when they do ask. U don't HAVE to say "oh, you've foiled us!" It can continue long after they first query it

[HollyBollyBooBoo]

DD just turned 7, last year after seeing Santa she confidently told me he wasn't the real one as he was too busy to see all the kids.

She's got friends with much older siblings so I'll be surprised if she believes properly this year. Very sad!

[IrritatedUser1960]

I realised it was phoney aged 4. In fact I can't remember a time when I didn't know Father Christmas didn't exist. I must have been a terrible cynical child.

[Oblomov17]

9 or 10, on average, they should know.

One man rides around on a sleigh, delivering a present down every chimney, in the WORLD. On one night.

I mean. Come on.

[Shutupanddance1]

I came from a very cookie cutter village in Ireland and I'm pretty sure we all believed until last year of primary school so I would have been 10. I enjoyed knowing and as there is 12 years between me and my younger sister, enjoyed Santa for many years.. I still get my stocking done at Christmas at my parents house

[NoWordForFluffy]

I don't agree with that at all, Copperbeech. I'd say that most children believe the white lie about Santa. We did, pre-internet!

It's a nice part of Christmas, in my opinion (even though its days are clearly numbered in our house!).

[SpanishFly]

A Mumsnet thing? ? Until I joined mumsnet it would never have occurred to me NOT to do the whole Santa thing.

[FoxyinherRoxy]

Really? It's most definitely not a Mumsnet thing Santa is definitely older then MN

[Copperbeech33]

Its only on Mumsnet that I have ever come across the idea of a child believing in father Christmas.

In the real world he is fantasy character from the begining. I find it very bizarre anyone on here ever claims they have lied to their children about this.

Why??????

[FoxyinherRoxy]

Mine have never actually questioned it, but I have told the oldest three (Christmas of year 7) and they all said 'thought so but wasn't sure'. Youngest has another year or so. What's lovely is that as the older ones know, they become part of the secret, so everyone has a bigger role to play on Christmas Eve's massive lie.
Last year I could have quite convinced myself Santa was real I was so excited on Xmas eve. Knowing it's me, not Santa, doesn't actually change anything, in fact they said last year were the best stockings ever. I was glad to get the credit for a change.

[TelephoneTree]

Eldest was 10 here too!

[BertrandRussell]

So the longer your child believes the better parent you are. Right.