S/O at what age did your child stop believing in Santa?

[EthiopianFood]

Did you tell them the truth, or did they figure it out on their own?

 

We don't do Santa; I just think it's interesting. :bigear:

[creekland]

I'm pretty sure my boys (18, 16, 14) still believe. Of course, back when they were in early elementary school we told them when they stop believing Santa stops bringing gifts. :D

[RoughCollie]

My kids figured it out on their own. Santa Claus's actual existence is not logical. I figure they were around 9 years old.

 

Did they tell me? No. Everyone pretended so I would have a good time at Christmas. They had to because I told them that Santa only visits children who believe, to keep doubters from doubting and from telling DD. That was pretty stupid of me because then I couldn't tell if my kids were just slow on the uptake or faking it, which was pretty annoying when they stopped liking toys.

 

OTOH, I loved playing Santa. Those were the best Christmases of my life, making it magical for the kids.

 

Last year was the first Christmas in which the entire family (meaning I finally agreed) openly admitted that Santa does not exist IRL.

Edited October 5, 2010 by RoughCollie

[bettyandbob]

My kids do get presents from Santa, but presents from Santa have always been small--action figure, book, etc. Larger presents come from people. When the kids were really little I told them that Santa tells grandma, aunt, etc what they want.

 

When my oldest was 5, he was angry about the large pile of toys I'd brought home from target to give to our church collection for the local homeless shelter. I was stressed and I snapped at him. I said something to the effect he got plenty of toys and these children were each going to get one toy on Christmas. He looked at me and said "but Santa will bring something too" and then I watched as his expression changed and the truth was dawning on him. I think he still wanted to believe. I think a year later he was asking questions and I told him to figure it out--if Santa was real why did some kids get really expensive items from Santa and other kids get something small. I said the same thing to dd when she was 5 or 6. I don't know if my youngest believes in Santa or has any theories on his "Santa" presents--he has developmental disabilities.

 

So, I didn't make a point of saying Santa wasn't real, but I also didn't make a point of "keeping Santa real" and my older 2 knew by the time they were 5 or 6.

[Reeciecup]

Did you tell them the truth, or did they figure it out on their own?

 

We don't do Santa; I just think it's interesting. :bigear:

 

I don't know if my kids figured it out, but I tell them when they are about 11. I don't want them to be the last kid still believing when all the other kids know.

[mom2att]

My oldest was 8 or 9 when she figured it out. My younger two are 10 and 7 and still believe.

[Prairie~Phlox]

We don't do Santa here either, so not really an issue!

[yellowperch]

Judy Blume reveals the "truth" in Superfudge or tales of a fourth grade nothing, I think. So that's how my oldest figured it out for sure at 9. He was heading there anyway. Now we've co-opted him in on the secret so the younger ones can still keep enjoying the game.

[mysticamethyst]

I am sure my kids know that dh and I help Santa by now but it is something that we dont' talk about out loud. To us it is part of the fun and that part of the holiday would be ruined if we didn't "believe". :001_smile:

[Hunter's Moon]

I learned in church.

 

It was around Halloween time and a man sitting behind me raised his hand and asked the pastor if it was alright to lie to children about Santa, Easter Bunny, etc.

 

I was 7 or 8, and I already had a slim idea that Santa wasn't real, so his question proved it.

[Alyce]

I don't remember the exact age but it was around 9. I too did the usual only believers get presents from Santa. That lasted a couple more years. As they got older it turned into Santa Claus just fills your stockings. Of course now we all admit it and laugh about it but we still have our filled stockings and I always put a little present in them, like a CD or a gift card etc.

[Kates]

I don't think mine ever believed. I didn't tell him one way or the other, it's just what he figured out.

 

At age 2, he told me that "Santa doesn't bring presents, Mommy, you do." Ok... ;)

 

At 4, a friend of mine wanted a picture of him sitting on Santa's lap at the mall (since her daughter had just done so) and he rolled his eyes, sat on Santa's lap, and told him, "Please tell Mommy I want a pony and a wheel-house." (A "wheel-house" was an RV.) It was so cute - he couldn't pronounce his L's, so it came out as "weah-house". Santa did a double take and said, really loud, "Ya want a warehouse, kid?"

 

At age 6, our first year of homeschooling, I read "The Night Before Christmas" to him as part of a Christmas study...he got mad at me for reading him something that wasn't real. And the list goes on... :D

[Laura Corin]

Calvin stopped believing at about 4 - he's highly rational. Hobbes said something last Christmas which made me think that he no longer believed, but he doesn't want to give it up so he's playing along.

 

Laura

[ktgrok]

Same issue here for the most part. I finally convinced DS 11 to tell me the truth, and he says he hasn't believed for a while but won't admit to how long. He wanted to make me happy :)

 

Now he gets to help play Santa for his baby sister :)

 

My kids figured it out on their own. Santa Claus's actual existence is not logical. I figure they were around 9 years old.

 

Did they tell me? No. Everyone pretended so I would have a good time at Christmas. They had to because I told them that Santa only visits children who believe, to keep doubters from doubting and from telling DD. That was pretty stupid of me because then I couldn't tell if my kids were just slow on the uptake or faking it, which was pretty annoying when they stopped liking toys.

 

OTOH, I loved playing Santa. Those were the best Christmases of my life, making it magical for the kids.

 

Last year was the first Christmas in which the entire family (meaning I finally agreed) openly admitted that Santa does not exist IRL.

[susankenny]

My kis get one present from Santa each year. They are 9 and 6 1/2. Both still believe (or play along). I imagine they'll figure it out on their own. I'm sure they've been told he's not real, as most people in our co-op don't dress up for halloween or celebrate Santa & are very verbal about it. We're just odd I guess & do both.

[Starr]

I'm pretty sure my boys (18, 16, 14) still believe. Of course, back when they were in early elementary school we told them when they stop believing Santa stops bringing gifts. :D

 

:iagree:

 

They are now great Santa's helpers. They know how hard Santa works and they will buy some things to help him out.

[specialmama]

Santa was a non-issue here, he's just a clown at the biggest birthday party in HIStory. ;) My dd never believed the clown really delivered the prezzies. My son, OTOH, with his special needs, understands what he sees. He sees santa, so he likes santa. satan oops I mean santa does not bring him presents, though... we do... in honour of Jesus' birth. And not because he was "good" enough, but because we all celebrate the best gift ever given that way.

 

My neices and nephews all believe in santa, that's cool. To each their own.

[MaMa2005]

DS never did believe. At age 2, we did the Elf on the Shelf. After day 2, DS gave us a lecture about Santa not being real :tongue_smilie:. We've had to really emphasize that he not tell others as we don't want the magic ruined for a child that still believes.

[kristavws]

My boys are 7 and 9, and they still believe in Santa.

 

Krista

[sparrow]

My 10yo son has been hinting that he may not believe since last year. He'll say things like, "or maybe mom & dad are Santa" and glance up at us when my 8yo daughter brings something up about Santa. I think he knows, but is trying very hard not to ;). I'm ready to let him in on it, whenever he's ready, but he doesn't seem to want to stop believing quite yet :001_smile:.

[Miss Sherry]

We didn't lead our children to believe that Santa is real. We emphasized that Christmas is about Christ. But I did read Santa stories to them when they were little, but I told them Santa was make believe but we can have fun reading the stories.

However, when my son was about 4 years old the neighbor kids had been telling my son that Santa was real, so one evening when the subject came up and I said Santa was make believe my son said, very adamantly that "Santa IS REAL". It struck me funny. I figured he would figure it all out soon enough and he did. He is 22 now and knows that Jesus is real and Santa is make believe. :lol::lol::lol: