At what age did your children stop believing in Santa?

[2020hello]

I'm just wondering how long we have left our oldest is 6.5 years

Never tried to pretend that Santa was actually real - how are we supposed to teach our children that lying is wrong, while lying to them every single year about Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny etc? And if you're religious, why wouldn't you expect them to assume that you're lying about your god(s) too when you finally come clean and tell them the truth about Santa?

We just played 'The Santa Game' And still do - she's nearly 10. She can enjoy the 'magic' of it all without actually thinking a creepy old man is going to break into our house and sneak into her room while she's all alone and asleep. We've never hammered home the point that Santa isn't real - just like we never banged on about Peppa Pig or Dora the Explorer or Sofia the First being real. Maybe Santa IS real! But I know how the presents actually get into her stocking on Christmas Eve, and so does she.

My parents did Santa 'properly' and I remember being really upset when they told me the truth. Not because I was upset that Santa wasn't real, but because I genuinely couldn't understand why such a blatant lie was acceptable when they had been teaching me my whole life NOT to lie.

But that doesn't really answer your question, sorry. My general impression is that kids need to be told the truth before starting senior school, at the very least. But many figure it out much earlier.

I agree with you Oogly Boogly. It's fun to pretend but that's what it is. I've never come across so many kids who believed the story for so long before being on Mumsnet; I swear they don't really and just pretend to please parents.

It's weird because I'm not in my heart so fussed about them believing.. I certainly know that Christmas was no less magical for me and I'm pretty sure I didn't believe in FC for long at all.

However that doesn't stop me from absolutely agonising over the logistics of who brings what!

8 year old dissed last year so we then had to break the news to 10 year old who was very upset.

Dissed? Sussed.

My 7yo has her doubts on and off but when I asked if she really thought I got up in the middle of the night to put presents out for her she concluded that Santa must be real as I like my sleep too much I'm worried now that we might have gone too far, eg she knows all the ones you see are men dressed up because obviously the real Santa is way too busy. Anything I can't answer I say how would I know, I'm not an elf. I might have backed myself into a corner with plausible explanations.

@WoobyWoo

8 year old dissed last year so we then had to break the news to 10 year old who was very upset.

Mine is worse...

My ds11 explained that he knew last year, and I thanked him for talking to me nicely and not spoiling it for younger ones.

A few days later we were discussing related things like the tooth fairy in the car, with my dd13 there too- and she was genuinely horrified to learn that there's no Santa! We had tears and everything!

It had not occurred to me that she still believed! I don't know who was more shaken!

Ds3 was 12.5 and at secondary school when we had to tell him. It was a shame as he was getting really excited and I would love to have waited until after Christmas but I knew he would start getting teased about it so it had to be done.

3, first year I mentioned it. I can't lie to save my life.

DD was 9 when she found out but she had doubts for about a year before that. DS still believes and he is 7

DD was 9. She was very good and didn’t give it away to her brothers (then aged 11, 4 and 3)
Eldest DS was 11, nearly 12 (end of year 6!)
The youngest 2 still believe at 8.5 and 7. DS 8.5 was told that Santa was your mum by an older child last week: he didn’t believe him! After all, how could your mum get all the presents to the end of your bed without waking you up? And why would she buy you things you aren’t allowed (slime, so many sweets)? And how come even when mum hasn’t got money to buy you stuff when you ask Santa can still bring it? He thought it was ridiculous that someone might actually believe their mum could do all that!

DD was 8, nearly 9 when she asked. I told her that now she was one of the secret keepers and we snuck as gift 'from Santa' onto the neighbours porch which she was delighted by, and all went well.

6 months later, overtired and home from school poorly, she stood at the top of the stairs, hands on hips, stropping about being asked to go to bed at bedtime or some such unreasonable request, and finished the tearful tirade with... "And anyway! I don't even believe you ARE Santa! You're just trying to take all his credit!!"

So I duly apologised for selfishly trying to take Santa's credit, and now two years later she's a fervent believer and will be for life, I suspect!!