children believing in santa

[lozzylou]

at what age did your children stop believing in santa? and did they just stop believeing or did you tell them?
my step son is just 6 and has been told by his mom that santa isnt real. i was really annoyed as i feel he is too young to be told that. i was 9 when my brother told me and i was gutted it spoilt the whole excitment of xmas. we are now trying to convince him that santa is real if he wants to believe in him but i just think it is such a shame. rather than make that bit of effort at xmas and make it into a magical time for him she just cant be bothered and has told him the truth. am i being silly here or would you be annoyed if someone told your 6 year old.

[redcrx]

I'd be annoyed if someone told my child, but what youre saying here is that his MUM told him, not some random stranger.

Im hoping that my 2 stay believing until they are at least 7/8 and that when little CRX finds out he doesnt tell baby CRX.

With 10 years between me and my youngest sibling I still loved the excitement long after I found out, Christmas is still magical.

[sara3]

I'd be furious!

my son is 11, and last year he was having none of it, the previous year he had his doubts (thanks to his school mates) but before that he still believed. I thought it was lovely!

I kind of miss it :o)

[weecalf]

Heard of kid of eleven having to be sat down and told that Santa was not for real and mummy and daddy bought the toys .He ran up stairs crying and shouting that next they would be telling him was the tooth fairy was not real either.

[lozzylou]

red i know its his mum but surely she should have discussed this with his dad first, he is now so confused because his mom is sayin he isnt real and when he comes to ours we make out even me and his dad believe in santa. his dad questioned his mother about it and she said he is too old to be believing in something that isnt real. i just think there are too many parents out there making there kids grow up far too fast. i will never tell my boys i will let them find out in there own time. when my brother started asking questions my mum used to say well its up to you if you believe or not but that the children that dont believe wont get as many presents,

[annie0000]

My boys are 7 and 8 and still totally believe - this might be the last year. Our friends little girl didn't believe last year at 6 and a half, a friend at school told her and she asked her Dad for the truth and he couldn't tell her an outright lie. She has been very good about it though and understands that she musn't spoil it for other children. She still enjoyed Christmas and got spoiled as ever! I was the youngest of 7 and I can barely remember believing although I am sure that I must have at some point. It didn't spoil Christmas for me though, I still got really excited, just more in a Birthday way if you get what I mean. It obviously would have been better to have discussed it with his Dad first, but you can't undo what has been done - you just need to explain that Santa still comes to your house as the little ones believe and that now he is a big boy, he will still get his special gifts, but now he gets to help keep the secret and make it special for his little brothers.

You are only confusing him more.

[LoftyLottie]

My son didn't tell us when he stopped believing in Father Christmas. He worked it out for himself (probably at about 8 years old). He informs us that he lay in bed on Christmas Eve listening to us tearing the sellotape whilst wrapping presents. He says although he had stopped believing he didn't want to tell us, because it was all so exciting anyway and it would have spoiled things!!

[Bbbananas]

Ah, 6 is a bit young for that fantasy to be spoiled. It may have been his mum that told him, but I found it best to wait until the child found out for themselves. I would be a bit disappointed, yes.

My kids - 2 of my own, 2 stepkids, all went up a year in age. When the first found out santa wasn't real, he kept up the pretence for the other 3, and so on and so on.

I'm sure you will still make it special for him anyway, and at 6 - he probably still believes santa is real & thinks his mum is soooo totally wrong!

[andy-hughes]

I think six is too young, and I also think children should figure it out for themselves.

Tanya, our eldest, was nine when she loftily informed me that she didn't believe in Santa. My response was -

"Never mind Tanya, he still believes in you." and her face was a picture. We got another year of carrot, mince pie and milk for Santa, which was wonderful.

I think children have to grow up too quickly as it is, without hastening the process when there i no need.

I loved leaving teeth marks in 'Rudolpsh's' carrot and crumbs from 'Santa's' mince pie. Our youngest daughter is aporaching twenty, and I still miss all that even now!

[LoftyLottie]

I liked drinking Santa's whiskey Andy!

The kids will always work it out for themselves and I am sure there are lots like my son who keep quiet about it, because they still want the magic of it all.

Let's face it us adults probably love the whole idea as much as the kids do.

[lubecki161]

10 and i cried! My mum told me!
Id be really annoyed if someone told my brothers he wasnt real!

[lozzylou]

i know i cant un do any of it i just feel really sad that it has all been spoilt for him. he is always asking questions and i beliee that deep down he still wants to believe which is why i refuse to tell him otherwise. if he wants to believe while he is at ours and get excited about santa like other kids his age then i will not spoil that for him. with his mum its all about her not being bothered. by him knowing santa isnt real she dont have to take him to a grotto, she dont have to hide the presents and really make xmas eve special. xmas is such a magical time in our house and i will fall out with the person that tells then it is not real. i think its the only time of the year that even the adults can be a big kid again and enjoy all the excitment

[Bbbananas]

the you carry on lozzy as you would do normally. I'm sure that little lad does still believe in his heart - so no problems if in your house you carry on with the magic.

It's his mum that's missing out!

[whiskeysheri]

LMAO! I was 12!

I was being dragged around a car boot sale and my mum was chatting to one of the women and they were having a laugh about having to keep up the pretending for the little ones. My eyes were like saucers! :) My poor mum felt awful- she'd just assumed by 12 I'd have worked it out for myself. We still laugh about it now. :)

It's a shame his mum has told him, but I agree with annie: that this is probably confusing him more.

[Bbbananas]

yea but there's a bit of a difference between 6 and 12 mate !

[lozzylou]

whiskeydid u actually still really believe at 12? did you never question it?
alugh i think i would have been the same if my brother didnt tell me

[puddicat]

A girl i worked with told my youngest at 7 that santa didnt exsist,i tried to convince him that she was not right and even now he still believes,bloody nora will have to tell him he is 25 nearly 26!!!

[Drisgirl]

Sorry -not being a thread killer but if this was posted on CB then there would be a torrent of abuse from people saying that children use this site and can read this.

Sorry but true and to prove my point i'll post the same on CB and see how many are down my throat.

I would never ever post anywhere anything like this -honestly -it could have been 'coded' better' if the Q needed to be asked.

[Bbbananas]

never thought of that Dris - do children of that age really come onto this site though?

I must admit I think of this as a mainly 'adult' site, I supose because of the adult comments!

Whoops, let's hope no 4-7 year olds have read this! :-(

[Drisgirl]

Well -plenty users pull people up for the content on other forums as 'children' use this site for homework etc.

I think this post sorry lozzy -but I feel it should have been better thought out and I would be devastated even at 10 to stumble on this.

I cant believe adults think Santa isnt real -he brought me the best presents ever -especially when my Mum and Dad had no money at all.

[puddicat]

dris dont think a child of that age would be on here, hopefully there parents would have some sort of monitoring in place, think you are being over sensitive, its in family where it should be!!!