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

[SandyChick]

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?

I lie like a cheap naafi watch to mine .

OR DO I?

No one has proved to me yet that he doesn't exist.

What talkin said.
We'll have Norad on on Christmas Eve and there will be stockings at the end of the beds come Christmas morning. My youngest is 12. It's family tradition, which everyone wants to perpetuate.

DH's brother broke the news when he was 4 or so - I feel quite sad that he didn't enjoy the magic of it all for a few more years. DC1 has been very good at keeping the secret so far.

Dd 10 questioned me last year, I just said if you believe he's real then that's ok. She was fine with that. Have come close this year to telling both of them ds 7 because they know we have no money so they won't be getting much - hardly anything but they just say faather christmas can buy it.

Shann are there other ways you can get them gifts, table top sales, church halls and that sort of thing?

TBH I used to find the dressed up father christmases scary too but I had a feeling they were just dressed up copies not the real one.

I really had to believe hte magic, I remember watching the skies too.

It really does depend on your child. Of course they wont miss it if they never had it. But if they do believe and even for a few years feel that magic, wonder and excitment I think its one of the best things about childhood, because you will never suspend belief like that again..

MY dd is very logical. she asks very cool clear questions.

I have slipped in a few times that FC goes shopping and tonight she bit my head off saying he does not, Everything gets made by the elves..I just mumbled no one really knows as its magic. She told me it wasnt that its made by the elves

I knew it was just a game since as long as I can remember.

So I assume that the majority of children are just playing along, and "believing" for fun, rather than actually thinking that there is an actual real Father Christmas who physically exists.

Hawkins Bazaar advertise themselves as "where Santa shops" nuff said!

My nearly 9 year old DD still believes. She does have severe learning difficulties, but hay-ho!

My niece still believed at 10, by the next year she knew and was heartbroken, it was so sad to see. Maybe she was too old? Her little sister didn't seem as bothered though so maybe it's personality. Her sister did quiz me quite a lot about being an atheist when she was quite small though (they are Catholic) so maybe she had it worked out long before!

DD1 is 6 just after Christmas, she is beginning to ask us to confirm if things are real or not but still gets confused about e.g. actors and their characters. It's so interesting to see them struggle to understand things we take for granted. FC is low key here, stocking presents only, and they already know the Santas they see in shops etc aren't real.

I think it's a mistake to insist on perpetuating the myth when they are ready to work out the truth but will use the 'what do you think?' line for a while.

Mine are 6 and 8 and still believe. It helps that I've been able to contrive an answer / excuse for every awkward question that they've so far thrown at me.
I've collated the excuses into a Christmas story, told by Santa's elf, Ken. If you've seen it before, this is a subtley altered draft that no longer has Santa getting hammered on sherry and falling out of the sled. I liked that bit but a drink-driving Santa isn't really on message.
pointlesslytallstories.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/santa-claus-facts.html

Even if you don't want to use the story, please harvest the excuses - they could keep the magic going a little longer.

Yes but might they not wonder why santa only brings them stockings and others presents? Just a thought. I hate all this lying about some strange man coming in to homes an leaving presents. I know its magical and all that and i do go along with it, but it doesnt sit comfortably with me tbh.

I love Christmas and will do my very best to keep the magic of Santa going for as long as possible for mine. It was never quite the same for me after I found out but I'm glad I believed until I was about 10.

I'm amazed to hear how young some children are who know. Under 5's? I think it's a shame. And I'd be bloody fuming if some teacher spoiled it for my DC.

Children grow up so quickly these days.

I have to admit I'm pretty harsh on this whole thing.We teach our kids not to lie, yet we lie to them about all this santa stuff.

I didn't believe in Santa from being about six. I was already cynical and I was just based on thinking 'Hang on!!' This guy apparently just goes around every household dropping presents in?How the fuck...'
lol.I was confused at first and then figured it.

I know my views are extreme but I don't think It's right tbh.

I think that people would have problems with it if they see it as being a lie. I don't see it as that and I didn't when I found out as a child.

It also probably colours how you do it and you are not going to do it very well if you are uncomfortable to begin with. I am completely comfortable with it, believing totally in the spirit of Father Christmas. I shall be watching the NORAD Santa on Christmas Eve and my children humour me with it!

7 and 10.

They like the ritual of putting out the mince pies and carrots for the reindeer (although DS thinks Santa should get carrots too, what with his weight problem), and we talk about the 'magic' of Christmas i.e. that we are inspired to be nice to each other and see friends and family and we talk about giving.

However, they have never really believed that a strange old man comes down the chimney and gives them presents. That would be scary. They have also never been enthusiastic about going and sitting on a strange man's knee in exchange for some present they don't really want.

If your children like that kind of thing, great. Horses for Courses. However, there are plenty of other bits of Christmas to believe in.

Another point from DS. If Santa's elves make all the presents, shouldn't somebody be suing them for trademark infringement?

DS is 9, he is starting to question, unfortunately he has been discussing with DD1 who is 6.5 they team tagged me in the car on the way to school last week, I think they believed my answers......

I didn't grow up with Santa and never felt any loss and don't really like the tradition very much, especially when taken to extremes (Christmas in my view is very much about giving as well as receiving and I just can't square that with Santa bringing all the gifts). dh's family I think did some Santa stuff but he wasn't particularly bothered. So we didn't do it at all. I think we would have had to tell some very tall stories to ds who was pretty much born asking 'why?' and needed real answers, often with some degree of technicality. dd would have gone along with it quite happily I suspect.

I'm slightly amazed that there are really 10 year olds who take it so seriously still. That does seem odd to me.

Ah, the trademarks issue. Somethings Santa makes, others he has to buy (specifically brand names like Apple) and that is why mummy gets a bill after Christmas from Santa. Even for the things Santa makes, the elves need to buy the raw materials such as paint.

Oh I love the whole thing. Obviously the ones you visit are not real, but helpers, but the real one is magic, he can stop time so can of course get around the whole world.

I was told at 6, begged to find out the truth, was told, was properly gutted as I really didnt want to know!

Most of DS class believe and they are 8, an in an inner city school full of pretty streetwise kids.

Of course they question it, but you have to be very inventive as a parent to make them believe.

Kids pretty much believe anything if told conviencingly enough. (Ref: religions etc)

My DS2 (9) completely and utterly believes. From November onwards he really tries to be good, and when his friends at school says it's your mum and dad, he says, it can't possibly be my mummy, because we have no money and she couldn't afford to bring me all that stuff - lone parent family, children know that money is tight, but I do try my very best to get them the thing they've asked for.

I think things like Personal North Pole help and NORAD tracks Santa DS2 absolutely adores Christmas.

Last year DS1 (aged 10) said to me with a smile, the kids at school say Santa doesn't exist, it's just your mum and dad, and I thought he was giving me a way to tell him the truth, so I did, and he absolutely broke his heart. He's enjoying this year being one of the adults as I've got him involved in helping me choose the gifts for DS2. But mainly it's just the stockings that come from Father Christmas and then the big presents from mummy.

I knew from about age 5/6 but just pretended to still believe for another year or two to get more presents
Dd is terrified of the idea of Santa, and has met 'him' before and hated it. So we're probably not goin to do the whole Santa spiel at all, no point if it just upsets her :(