I think I've broken my child's heart....

[AlphaAlpha]

It sounds dramatic, but I'm bereft.

Thought my 9 year old had gone to bed, so up to my room I go, into the dressing room off the bedroom and retrieve the Santa stocking from the boiler cupboard to shove something in it...

In walks 9 year old.
Saw everything (well the sack and one long wrapped present, the rest are in the bottom)
I let out a noise that can only be described as a feral cat crossed with Michael Jackson.

Yes child is 9, and could possibly have an inkling but I didn't want it this way. They looked crestfallen, claims they didn't see anything, and looked very sheepish going back to bed.

Arse.

You are the type of parent that thinks their kids aren't having sex at 15. A child of 9 definitely knows santa is made up🙄

Oh she just feels bad she caught you as she’s pretending to believe to make you happy. You know she does not believe in Santa. Kids at school will have told her a long time ago

@madroid Thanks for the parenting evaluation.
I'll come back to you when's she's 15 - then you can tell me I told you so, yes?

Christ there are some grinches that could do with a sense of humor slap on this thread.
But I'll forgive thee - ''tis Christmas 🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻

Awwww, poor lass. Hope she is OK now! 😘 And yeah you're right, 9 isn't THAT old. Some 9 year olds will be like 'hahahaha you believe in Santa - LOOOOOOOOOSER.' And others still believe in him at 9, 10, or 11 even... Doesn't mean the child who disbelieves is better or more grown up. Just a different child that's all.

A girl in my DD's class told her Santa was NOT real and she was a baby to believe in him, when they were SEVEN, because her older cousins teased her about it and ruined her belief. DD came home and cried at what this girl had said. I took her aside, and said 'poor Lauren, how awful that her cousins said this, how mean and spiteful and unkind they sound. Ignore them. Of COURSE he's real. LOL what a silly girl believing this hahahahaha.'

DD believed me (her mom) of course. And she was fine after that and told the girl her cousins were lying. She believed in Santa til she was 13-14. Well, she told me she did, but recently, she told me she stopped believing at 11, but didn't have the heart to tell me! 😂 ANGEL. @😍

I knew by about age 6/7 because my big sister was a little witch and used to tell me things when she found out like the tooth fairy, Easter bunny. I think I was more gutted about the tooth fairy tbh because my baby teeth didn’t start falling out till I was about 8 so never had the surprise of her leaving a penny under my pillow lol I don’t know how old my oldest was. I asked when he was 10 what he wanted from Santa and he told me what he wanted then said quietly, I know it’s you mum I have jst been pretending though 😪 I was quite gutted tbf

Pay no attention. You sound like a lovely person and a caring momma!

Aww, I can still remember 'that moment' with my youngest. Christmas eve, snuck into his bedroom with the stocking. Thought everything was going perfect until I look back & we locked eyes. He never said a word until years later.

Aw if you haven’t OP have a cuddle with them and hash it out don’t leave them to stew on it and worry. Even if older kids know, sometimes they don’t want to know because it’s a loss of sorts and getting older can feel sad for kids too not just to their parents.