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Original poster

How old were your children when they stopped believing in Santa?

137 replies

SandyChick · 15/11/2013 17:36

My 6.5 year old says he knows I buy his presents. I've tried convincing him but he doesn't believe me. It doesn't help that he's found some presents at his grandparents house.

Surely 6 is too young to not believe?

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morethanpotatoprints · 18/11/2013 14:51

I think some of these children are just asking for clarification of the role of FC/Santa whichever you use.
How many times do you hear of a different view.
Some parents say they buy, wrap, send to Santa. Sometimes he comes down the chimney, other times through doors.
Some times he brings all presents, other times he brings some and some are from family members etc.
They aren't saying they don't believe ime.

BackforGood · 18/11/2013 15:11

My 17, 15, and 12 yr olds are still expecting a stocking each, as Father Christmas has always done in this house Wink

Elibean · 18/11/2013 15:54

dd (nearly 10) hasn't believed for at least three years, but I've never admitted it Wink

Santa does stockings only in this house, as he did in mine growing up!

(dd2, nearly 7, takes her lead from big sis and is totally matter of fact in saying 'You are the tooth fairy and Santa, mummy, but it's ok if you want to pretend' Shock)

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izcullen · 18/11/2013 16:07

My ds very sweetly said he believed in the spirit of FC a couple of Christmases back, when he was about 8. I thought that was a pretty smart way of letting me down gently, bless him. I still believe, of course Wink

Mattissy · 18/11/2013 16:15

I knew the truth years before I let on to my patents that I knew, I thought it would upset them, lol

My ds was 10 when he sorta kinda didn't believe, I think he knew but played along just in case!

Mattissy · 18/11/2013 16:18

The other day someone on here asked why people said they bought the presents but sent them to Santa for him to bring back, they thought it was a silly thing to do..... Well it answers this question for you! Lol

CaptainSweatPants · 18/11/2013 16:18

My nephew believed until he was about 11. He never even questioned

But surely his classmates/ friends etc told him????

PigsInParis · 18/11/2013 16:20

DS asked outright last year, he was 8.

This year he denies all the questioning and conversations we had last year - and has decided Santa is real again Hmm I think he is concerned that his younger Santa believing sister will get more presents than he will if he opts out of Santa.

Taffeta · 18/11/2013 16:21

DS (10) started questioning it last year but I am denying it. Actually saying it isn't real is a big step on from them questioning it IMO. DD (7) totally believes and is much more excited about the magic part of it than DS ever was.

MillyONaire · 18/11/2013 16:22

DD is 11 and still believes - I suspect it's a case of her not wanting to examine it to closely but it is quite common around here for kids to be told (brutally!) at 12. I think we'll be doing really well to get through this year with the belief intact. Afaik most of her class believe.

VerySmallSqueak · 18/11/2013 16:24

I snorted at opts out of Santa. Grin

MothershipG · 18/11/2013 16:27

Santa was never a big deal when I was growing up, I can't remember ever actually thinking he was real, didn't spoil Christmas for me!

Consequently I've never made a big deal of it with my DC, I wanted them to appreciate the people that bought them the gifts, not some mythical bloke with a white beard. So when they questioned it, when they were really quite little, I didn't fudge the issue. Didn't seem to spoil Christmas for them either! Smile

Now I think about it we really don't do mythical/magical as reality much in this family, I guess because DH and I are rational, sceptical, non-woo parents. I am comfortable with that and I think my DC won't look back on their childhoods as deprived. Grin

P.S. They still got money for teeth, although I drew line recently now they are both in Secondary school and losing the last couple!

Beehatch · 18/11/2013 16:40

We had a possible spoiler last night when I introduced my 6.5yo to the joy that is 'Annie'. The 'Hard-knock life' song mentions something about no santa visits which DD picked up immediately - "would Father Christmas really not leave presents for them?"

I got around it by saying that no-one would take them to see a 'pretend' Santa in a grotto, but of course they would get a stocking. Plus of course the film isn't real-life!

She has also questioned the logistics of visiting EVERY child in the world, so I suspect the game will be up by next Xmas. Hanging on to it for a long as I can though, I have magical memories of believing as a child.

Chivetalking · 18/11/2013 16:47

DC1 and 2 were about 7 and 8 but we deliberately dropped heavy hints ourselves to let them down gently as we didn't want them to get much older and get teased by the streetwise (as happened to me).

DC3 was 5 and worked it out for himself.

fuckwittery · 18/11/2013 16:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AlwaysInBed · 18/11/2013 16:51

My eldest was 4

My middle one is 6 (7 a few days before Christmas) and stopped believing around 5/6 (so last year).

My youngest is 4 and still believes.

Talkinpeace · 18/11/2013 16:53

a while ago, but heaven help me if I don't do stockings for them Wink

Titsalinabumsquash · 18/11/2013 16:56

My elder two are 7 and 9 (a very young 9) DS2 has said he doesn't believe, DS1 was a bit upset and asked me.

I copped out big time and used the whole "Santa is something that some people believe and some don't, personally I think Santa and his story is magical and that makes me feel Christmassy so I like to keep enjoying it and there is nothing wrong with that"

I shamefully use it to describe religion as well. (The whole some people do some don't not the magical bit)

macmat · 18/11/2013 17:01

my 9 (almost 10) year old has said that Santa isn't real. Which led to my 8 year old asking with huge eyes: 'Is that true????'

So I said: Santa is real to whoever believes in him. If you don't believe, he doesn't come and you just get gifts from mum and dad. But if you believe you get extra from Santa. I convinced them that I still believe which is why I get presents under the tree.

8 year old bought it. 9 year old is now wavering....

LoofahVanDross · 18/11/2013 17:05

mine have all made it to 10,11ish. So end of primary school days really.

homeworkmakesmemad · 18/11/2013 17:09

My eldest was 2! He was just a few months short of his 3rd birthday and declared "Santa can't be real because no-one could fly across the sky in one night apart from God and Jesus and I know that Santa isn't God" He always did think too much! Wink We never made a big deal of Santa as I'm just not really that bothered by it either way. We believed when we were kids because my dad did it, but my mum never said much because she would rather we didn't believe so it was never a big fuss. None of my cousins believed and I don't think any of them were bothered in the slightest. None of us believed past about 7 I don't think. Once DS declared that he wasn't real we told him the truth - I could have carried on a pretence for a while, but I wasn't going to try and convince him when he had sussed it out. We told him that lots of boys and girls believed Santa was real and that was OK, so he wasn't to tell any of his friends because it would ruin the surprise for them.

DD1 is just a few years younger than DS and due to us not really doing it with him she has never believed. DTs (3) talk about Santa but to be honest I don't think they have a clue who he is or what he's about. We don't mention it at all. I think this year we will probably have to explain to them that Santa is just a story and some people believe it's true and others don't. We would only ever do stockings and a few small presents from Santa anyway so it's not a big deal.

Despite not making a fuss we still hang out stockings, watch movies with Santa, sing songs etc because it's part of Christmas - it's just a bit of fun though - as we have explained to the kids, it is fun to pretend, just like when we go on forest walks we pretend there are elves and fairies around, or when we go to the Giant's Causeway we pretend that Finn MacCool built it. (although that actually is true you know Wink)

humphryscorner · 18/11/2013 17:11

My friends partner believed it up until the night before he started secondary school when his dad sat him down and told him the truth.......... Grin

lynniep · 18/11/2013 17:16

My just-turned-4 year old believes in santa, but he's not fooled by 'those men that dress up in pretend beards' that turn up all over the place at christmas. He wasn't fooled last year either.

My 6.5 year old still believes I think -but he too realises that most presents are from mummy and daddy. He has said that santa is not real, but I am of the opinion that he isn't convinced.

unlucky83 · 18/11/2013 17:21

I confirmed it to my DD1 last year at 11 nearly 12 .....mainly cos I thought she'd have the mickey taken out of her at school if I didn't tell her ..she was really sad Sad. She had asked me before.
I always said 'when you stop believing, Santa stops coming ' Which is kind of the truth ....
When she was about 6, an older child at her childminders told her Santa wasn't real and her and her similar aged friend argued that of course he was - if he wasn't who ate the mince pies and carrots Smile
And we still keep up the pretense for DD2 (6)....

Weegiemum · 18/11/2013 17:24

Dd1 was 8.

Ds is 11.9 (in primary 7) and still totally invested in it. I'm going to have to tell him I think.

Dd2 is 10 next week and still into it too.