At what age did your SK / kids stop believing in Santa?

[NorthernSpirit]

At what age do kids stop believing in Santa?

Youngest SK is 12 (Y7 of secondary). Mum is adamant he believes in Santa and therefore wehave to play along.

I doubt very much he does and he’s probably playing along with mum.

Your experiences?

10, year 5, for ds although he didn't come clean until the following year as he thought he wouldn't get any gifts if he didn't believe. That is far more likely with your stepson. We still put stockings out and a cookie and milk. Just go along with it, it's fun

My eldest was 8. My youngest has just turned 10 and pretty much said she didn’t believe it last year but hasn’t mentioned it this year. As it’s been a snotty year I’m going along with it but assume it’ll be the last Christmas she pretends, she’s in Y5. I would certainly be telling her before high school. However, it’s not your circus, do as mum wishes.

Shitty not snotty 😂

Eldest was in yr 5 or 6. Before he turned 11 I think. Dd is 10 and I'm sure she doesn't believe but hasn't asked me yet so I haven't said anything. Ds2 is 6 and hasn't questioned.

I’m having none of this rubbish, he DOES exist - I’ve seen him 🎅

Just before secondary IME. Just play along, I do and my DC do. It’s all tongue in cheek and harmless.

My DC believed until year 6. Then we told him (as I'd heard they might get teased about it in secondary school).

My 11 year old 100% still believes, pain in the backside that it is.
My 14 year old stopped believing aged 8 after doubting the year before. I only let him help with the wrapping and organizing last year though, kept up the 'if you don't believe you don't receive' until then so he was old enough to understand not spoiling it for his sister.
I really thought last year would be the last. This definitely will be though as I won't let her start secondary school still believing.

There is a transitional period where they don’t really believe properly but still want to do the whole shebang, and half hope for it still it to be true in some way ... they basically believe in a bit of Christmas magic, wherever it comes from, it’s a wonderful thing 🎅🏻🧑‍🎄🤶🏽

I suspect that’s the phase your step child is in. He’ll soon be out the other side, no need to rush it, but no need to panic about it either, a nice gentle Father Christmas type presence is fine, and making a bit more of the things you guys do is fine too... shifting the balance a little, without bursting the bubble outright. That way he gets to be in control of when he stops believing vs having it thrust upon him...

(I do think you should start letting a few chinks in the magic show through though, so his logical brain can keep gnawing away on it... just in case he does still believe)

DS1 was 8 but said he'd known when he was 7 same with DS2.

In my experience of teaching infants few believe beyond the age of 7/8. Playground gossip informs them.

Much older they get laughed at by the others - but some still pretend to believe at home it seems.

My 9 year old plays along beautifully, I don't think she's ever NOT thought it was anything other than a game / story.
My 7 year old, hard to tell. It's not like you can ask them, is it? It isn't as though we go round asking if other things are real (although dc1's friend thought sea horses weren't real, he thought they were just in cartoons!) I've never said ',do you think butterflies / sharks / snow leopards are real' so it would give the game away.
By 12 how can they not know?
My DD did ask if teenagers get presents, I said it is father Christmas til you are 16 then if you are lucky your parents take over! My brother used to wrap me up something from Santa when we were both our mid- late teens. Is there something in the playing along that is a hardship for you? It sounds as if there is something underlying that's bugging you.

My eldest dc is 9 and very suspicious now. I just wanted to get one more Christmas out of him where he still at least half believes.
My younger dc are 7, 5 and 2 and still very much believe, so I will have to watch what my eldest says so that he doesn’t spoil it for the others iykwim.

Not sure about former dsc. Probably around 9 or 10 too. I do remember telling my ex to really make sure dsc didn’t spoil it for my dc, but I can’t remember 100% what age.

My dcs stopped believing in Father Christmas when they were tiny, about 4 - it didn’t ruin Christmas at all! I don’t believe that a child in secondary school would believe in Santa or should be encouraged to, but I would play along for the sake of (non) argument!

DS told me at 8 that he didn't believe and had realised about age 6 or 7. My DD age 7 still believes 100%.

About 11...but she strung us along till 12😂 she was the biggest by far at the Grotto 🤣🤣🤣

Wait - Santa doesn’t exist?!

As if this year hasn’t been bad enough!!!

Dd1 stopped believing at 7, which I think is a bit on the young side . Dd2 stopped believing at 9, just after Christmas, when she was year 5. A few of her friends are unsure in year 6.

I have a year 7 form and I don't think any of them still believe. In fact, if they did, they would have been crushed in the last couple of weeks as whenever I've said something light-hearted about Santa most of them told me (very kindly) that he isn't real. I doubt there are many kids who still genuinely believe in year 7, but there may well be a few.