blub..DD made me confess the big FC truth..

[iheartdusty]

She has just turned 8. She looked me straight in the eye and demanded the truth. I prevaricated as long as I could, but eventually I had to admit that it was me who had crept in and put the stockings by their beds. Another little bit of magic gone.

boo hoo, why do they have to grow up?

DD is 10 and I think is starting to doubt and question it in her own mind but I don't think she'll voice those doubts for some time.

I arranged for video emails from FC for DD and DS (following a link on a thread on here) and she was watching it like this and couldn't work out how he knew what they wanted, had their photos etc

"shiny eyed, wholly credulous little children who really, really believe in magical things are a delight, don't you think?"

I really don't! - maybe there is something wrong with me... I just don't think children really are like that. I think this innocence of childhood thing is a projection from adults.

"The sad bit is watching my DD realise as she grows that the world is not a fairy tale - it's a loss of innocence."

I just don't find that sad at all! - I love it when DS asks about real things and is obviously using his brain to work stuff out. The world most certainly is not a fairy tale - doesn't mean you can't enjoy fairy tales, I still do - but most children do naturally have reasoning power and can home in pretty sharply on when things don't make sense.

I couldn't bear to look DS in the eye and blatantly lie to him to force him to believe something that isn't true, only to build him up for a let-down later. And I don't just mean a let-down about the truth about FC, I mean him realising that I insisted on this bollocks knowing it was untrue, and so shouldn't really be trusted.

I'll join you over there in the old cynics home MadameDuBain - I think there's plenty of magic and joy in things which are actually real, without having to pretend that invented things are true as well.

Thank u skiptomylou I have just sat here trying tio light the christmas lights on that site, never mind the fact that I only have half the lights on my real tree

Lilred, cheers for the Pratchett quote, I like to think of him as my guide on any tricky ethical issues.

It is a little bit sad when they figure it out - even though it can be magical once they know the pedestrian, boring truth a little bit of magic does go out of the world...

I don't get the boo hoos at children finding out that 'it's only a story' - stories are IMPORTANT. They don't become less important becuase they aren't true.

Skiptomylou - We've tracked santa for a few years now, tis great fun!

DS is 8 and he has asked twice this year "is Santa real or is it only you?". My reply each time has been "Do you really think I would buy you all that stuff?" And he has to admit that I wouldn't!!!

I agree I would have to tell mine before they went to secondary school I think.

I just say 'Well if you dont believe he wont come'!And I will be saying so until I have grandchildren and the tale will continue..

DD made me tell her last year on Christmas day