Does anyone here have any experience of older children with learning disabilities and Santa?
My son is 13 and the closer it’s getting to Christmas the more anger and meltdowns we’re seeing about Santa. He apparently still believes but I’ve occasionally thought he showed signs of not. He’s at high school (albeit in a specialist base) so I presume he’s encountering people who don’t believe in Santa. For years I’ve taken a very relaxed attitude to the Santa thing, I don’t talk about it and drop lots of hints that it’s your parents. I encourage and help him to buy and make for others and say he’s being a” a Santa” He does get presents and stocking still but I don’t ever make a big thing of them or out and outright lie. I just let him
Lead and silently smile.
Today he’s desperate for me to write a letter to Santa for him and post it for him, filled with the stuff he got from Santa in previous years. We used to do this when he was little. He can’t write himself so he wants me to write it. He wants to ask for toys he’s outgrown and has loads of already.
I’m just saying don’t worry darling, I’m sure your Santa loves you and knows what you want and Christmas will be wonderful. And staying calm. I don’t want to write and post a letter with a 13 year old and then have to buy the childish stuff in the letter that he doesn’t need/won’t play with.
But he’s very angry of rampaging around the house. It feels like there’s some processing going on, I’m not sure how to handle it. There’s lots of aggression and anger and screaming . I don’t want to break and say ok I’ll write your letter and let’s post it. Neither do I want to tell him
It’s all not true.
Anyone have any experience?