Father xmas the truth is 8 to old to still believe?

[singingmum]

My dd is 8 and we've just found out that her best friend knows all about santa(older siblings).Now we are left this close to xmas as she starts to get excited with the big Q.Do we tell her or not.She still believes in the tooth fairy and magic etc and although as HEers we don't worry about her being told in school her friend is around more lately.
Is she to old to believe in santa or is it ok to leave it until a later time,like when she's 20(as you can see I hate the fact that my youngest is doing the whole growing up thing although never had prob with my son).

Just don't ever have the confirmation conversation! Is there really any need? Children are children for such a short time and imho, its just one more thing to make them grow up. My dd is 13 and I'll still be doing a stocking and I know she knows and she knows that I know etc! But so what? Its all about the magic of Christmas. I still put the mince pies etc out and we still track the big man on NORAD and we ^still sit on our bed together and pretend that I don't know what is in each parcel. I'll do it as long as she's living under this roof I expect.

The only bonus now, of course, is that its a more reasonable time of the morning and she brings us a cup of tea, with her stocking!

morticia, that sounds great, i would love to be still doing the magic bit of xmas when dd6 is 13!!

My mum still did me and my sisiter little stockings up till we were about 15! Its lovely, becasue of course you know its form mum, but it's a reminder of all those christmas's gone when mum had done tthe stockings but you didn't know.

like the idea of the cuppa too, when can we trainthem to do that?

I doubt very much that 10 year olds really genuinely believe deep down. They are probably going along with it for the sake of the parents.

My eldest DS is 27 -I have 5 and the youngest is 9. I still do stockings for them all! I think the 9 year old is having doubts but wants to believe. I have been doing the Father Christmas thing for so long I can't bear to think of not doing it anymore!

My DS and his best friend had a conversation about this last week, with friend saying FC isn't real, and my DS arguing vehemently that he was, though I do wonder if it's dented his belief - I do struggle with the questions about why FC doesn't help really poor/starving children.

Love the reply earlier ReallySpooky..., will use that if he asks Like everyone here, will be sad when he no longer believes, though DD will for a while.

my dd has been asking a lot, cornering me in the kitchen etc. i have researched saint nick and am going to tell her that it is a parent's duty to take over from him after he died and carry on his work. she is v into good karma and remembering people so this will work for her. she is 9.

My ds (6) was told in August by one of his friedns and was absolutely gutted! With all his howling dd (5) heard him going on about it! Nightmare! I put on Miracle on 34th st and told them I wasn't going to tell them either way, but I believed and that they could make up their own minds after watching the film about a little girl who didn't believe!! As soon as they saw Miracle, their belief was 100% restored thank GOd!!! Then it was a quick call to the little friend's mum!

Don't ever tell....

My dd is 6 and still very much believes, a friend told me a good thing to tell them when they have doubts.

That Father Christmas visits everyone but when they stop believing in him he stops visiting, thats why X mummys and daddys have to buy presents instead of Father Christmas.

So I think I'll tell her that when she has doubts, dd has a younger sister so would like to keep it going as long as possible.