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Original poster

Do your 8 year olds still believe?

86 replies

Girlsnightin · 09/09/2018 18:39

Am I kidding myself that he does?
Just started year 4. Started asking questions about the tooth fairy which I confirmed was me, but was vague about FC.
Do we carry on for a few years with this?

OP posts:
UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 10/09/2018 10:53

I think she's suspicious, but she hasn't said anything yet. If she asks I'll be honest though, I'm not going to try and spin it out.

Pascha · 10/09/2018 11:32

DS is 8 tomorrow. He does still believe, of course, but he made a comment to his gran about his brother getting something for Christmas which made her think he's wavering. I don't know what the comment was.

I'm happy if he says he doesn't believe after this christmas. He's always been a very literal child, no truck with imagination or make-believe, just never has.

DS2 on the other hand who is 5, wouldn't surprise me if he has to be told at age 11 before secondary school.

Pascha · 10/09/2018 11:34

Honestly though, I am a middle child, I don't remember a time when I did believe in Santa. My older siblings soon put paid to that.

Longtalljosie · 10/09/2018 11:34

DD asked me the question a couple of months before her 9th birthday. I told her as it seemed like the perfect time - nowhere near Christmas (so plenty of time to get her head around it) and DD2 nowhere nearby. I'd always worried DD1 would ask about it in front of her!

BevBrook · 10/09/2018 11:37

I certainly did aged eight. It was absolutely magical. My favourite thing about Christmas was Father Christmas, and that wasn't because of the presents, it was because of the idea that a truly magical being was going to/ had set foot in my mundane bedroom, so for one night my normal everyday life was touching the magic and fairytale, and I could almost reach out and touch it. I am so pleased to have had that.

I don't know whether my eight year old believes or not. I think he probably doesn't really but is open to the slight possibility Father Christmas really exists. We shot the tooth fairy down when the boys found a piece of sparkly paper with a heart shape cut out, which I had used for the fairy to write an apology for forgetting to turn up once.

losingmymindiam · 10/09/2018 12:33

I don't think I was ever scarred by the 'lies' my parents told me about Father Christmas etc, so I think it's great for them to believe as long as possible. Makes it more magical. Lots of things aren't 'real' but it is fun to believe. Childhood should be magical, awe and wonder and all that.

Loyaultemelie · 10/09/2018 13:03

I think mine knows rightly but is playing me! She reckons if she "knows" we are paying she will get less, wee bugger.

NoodleEatingPoodle · 10/09/2018 13:19

I have one around that age who asked me recently if the tooth fairy was really me.

I told him that childhood is the most magical time of life, and once you start to understand how the magic all works it's still wonderful but a little less magical. I said he could trust me to tell him the truth, and I would trust him not to ask until he is really ready to know. So if he wanted to ask me something about how magical things work, he should be sure he's really, totally ready to know the grown-up truth and give up some of the childhood magic.

He said 'never mind.' Santa never entered the conversation but he is smart enough to join the dots. Tbh I'm more comfortable with them 'choosing' to believe, than keeping up a lie so that they believe without question.

OhhJeremyCorbyn · 10/09/2018 13:24

Yes, my 16 still does. All of my 8 children still believe, it keeps them under the thumb if they still believe. It's not necessarily embarrassing!
Wink Wink Also, the santa costume makes my husband look great Blush

Seafoodeatit · 10/09/2018 13:25

I have a 7 nearly 8 year old DS, he does still believe as far as I'm aware, ditto tooth fairy, I have a feeling him not believing will come from school rather than him as I don't see him questioning it himself. I have no idea what we'll do if he has doubts as I have 0 experience with any of this, my father was/is dead set against us believing in father Christmas or the tooth fairy as kids, he gets glared at now when he scoffs at it around DS.

Original poster
Girlsnightin · 10/09/2018 14:18

NoodleEatingPoodle

I love that approach. Am going to use that 100%

OP posts:
Original poster
Girlsnightin · 10/09/2018 14:20

OhhJeremyCorbyn

Unless you home school / have No access to others/ etc I find it very hard to believe a 16 year old believes.

In fact, you'd be doing them a favour by breaking the news now!

OP posts:
Stompythedinosaur · 10/09/2018 20:27

NoodleEatingPoodle I love your answer. Might steal that.

louise5754 · 10/09/2018 21:19

Do any of you worry that they might be taken the kick out of at school for believing? I worry that when dd8 finds out she will ruin it for her sister dd6. I'd like my youngest to still believe at ten but bviously the oldest would be 12 by then 🤔

squealingpiglets · 10/09/2018 21:21

my DS(8) is a little suspicious but for now, still believes.

TittyGolightly · 10/09/2018 21:26

I worry that when dd8 finds out she will ruin it for her sister dd6.

I worked it out at 6. The parental hiss of “don’t you dare ruin it for your sibling” and 6 or so years of being forced to lie to them massively affected my relationship with my mother and is one of the reasons Santa was never introduced to this house. I just can’t see it as anything but parental manipulation.

louise5754 · 10/09/2018 21:27

I don't know how to reply to that

Figgygal · 10/09/2018 21:30

Ds who is 6 announced at the dinner table last week completely unprompted that Santa wasn't real and it's the mums and dads that put out the presents

I changed the subject as didn't want to lie to him and say of course he is but my god it made me so sad!!

TittyGolightly · 10/09/2018 21:31

You don’t need to.

Think if it as a visit from the ghost of (potentially) Christmas future.

My husband had a similar experience despite very different xmases. His youngest sibling is 8 years younger, so he was forced to lie throughout his teen years. He feels more strongly about it as me.

There are others on the forum that will tell similar stories.

bangourvillagebesttimeever · 10/09/2018 21:37

I love Christmas. My eldest DS believed until he was 12 as did my DD. We always did the magic letter up the chimney. Sprinkles left as the magic elves left to their when they took the letter. We have flashes of white light if their naughty on the lead up to Christmas which means Santa isn’t happy 😂. I had conversations when they got to an age where they would start doubting saying your at an age where your friends will say the don’t believe and that as part of growing up it and will happen to them too at some point. My 11yr old DS 2 told me last year that his friends didn’t believe but he couldn’t believe that as there was no way ‘we’ his parents would get all those presents. Keeping the magic is a must in my house...

Onlyfools · 10/09/2018 21:45

My son is almost 7 & still believes although I’m not sure for how much longer. He’s definitely getting much more aware and questioning more. It’s such a sad realisation that it’s over for him and I know it will of course still be magical but I absolutely love how excited he got about it.

twinklz · 10/09/2018 21:55

It would be nice if they believed until comprehensive.

Bumbumtaloo · 10/09/2018 21:56

DD1 who is 9 at Christmas hasn’t said anything about Father Christmas this year at all. Last year a couple of comments were made by her that made me think that she no longer believed but was just playing along. DD2 is 6 and is firmly in the Father Christmas is real camp.

Juanbablo · 11/09/2018 18:23

My almost 9 year old believes and I think my almost 11 year old believes too but I'm not sure.

ajcon · 11/09/2018 18:42

I can't believe there's people that don't go along with the Santa story because it's lying! I don't think anyone was scarred from this 'lie', if anything it's my best memories and I can't wait to make all the magic of it for my children! Each to their own I guess Hmm