When do kids stop believing in Santa?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Job's been asking me if Santa really comes down the chimney...it's really cute because he's still got a great imagination and he still has a magical view of the world. He watched the classic, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, and Rudolph over the weekend which answered many of his questions satisfactorily so I'm off the hook for now.

[Caladan 19]

My sister is 10 and in sixth grade. My mom seems to think that she she still believes in Santa. I know my sister and she's a smart cookie, so I just don't buy it.

She's probably playing along because she hasn't figured out how to break it to your mother.

[chri'stina 190]

We didn't do Santa in my house...which I am glad about. Though my parents did tell us not to go around telling kids he wasn't real, but to let their parents tell them.

What I found annoying as a kid was every adult assuming you believed in Santa. At the grocery store, the cashier would say "were you good so Santa will bring you presents?" Sometimes me and my sister just said, "yep" so we wouldn't have to go through the whole " *gasp* You don't believe in Santa?" thing. A very close friend of mine tells her story about when she found out there was no Santa, she truly believed, and she found out on Christmas Eve at age 6. She was furious at her parents and wouldn't talk to them for a couple hours. LOL I think she definitely isn't going to do the Santa thing with her kids either, b/c she was completely ticked off and depressed when she found out he wasn't real. I don't want to do that to my kids, and plus I want the credit for buying them things, not someone who doesn't exist. There's also the poor kids who don't get presents even though they were good all year, my mom went through that, so either Santa is bias against poor kids or he's not real.

Edited December 11, 2007 by stina&suj

[one...two...tree 2,762]

We didn't do Santa in my house...which I am glad about. Though my parents did tell us not to go around telling kids he wasn't real, but to let their parents tell them.

What I found annoying as a kid was every adult assuming you believed in Santa. At the grocery store, the cashier would say "were you good so Santa will bring you presents?" Sometimes me and my sister just said, "yep" so we wouldn't have to go through the whole " *gasp* You don't believe in Santa?" thing. A very close friend of mine tells her story about when she found out there was no Santa, she truly believed, and she found out on Christmas Eve at age 6. She was furious at her parents and wouldn't talk to them for a couple hours. LOL I think she definitely isn't going to do the Santa thing with her kids either, b/c she was completely ticked off and depressed when she found out he wasn't real. I don't want to do that to my kids, and plus I want the credit for buying them things, not someone who doesn't exist. There's also the poor kids who don't get presents even though they were good all year, my mom went through that, so either Santa is bias against poor kids or he's not real.

Young children don't see the world the way adults do...everything is magical, non practical, glittery, new, exciting. I think it's important not to squelch that as they eventually outgrow it on their own. Santa is a symbol, a metaphor, a hero, of giving, random kindness, selflessness. He demonstrates all those qualities in a way that young children can understand.

[chri'stina 190]

We didn't do Santa in my house...which I am glad about. Though my parents did tell us not to go around telling kids he wasn't real, but to let their parents tell them.

What I found annoying as a kid was every adult assuming you believed in Santa. At the grocery store, the cashier would say "were you good so Santa will bring you presents?" Sometimes me and my sister just said, "yep" so we wouldn't have to go through the whole " *gasp* You don't believe in Santa?" thing. A very close friend of mine tells her story about when she found out there was no Santa, she truly believed, and she found out on Christmas Eve at age 6. She was furious at her parents and wouldn't talk to them for a couple hours. LOL I think she definitely isn't going to do the Santa thing with her kids either, b/c she was completely ticked off and depressed when she found out he wasn't real. I don't want to do that to my kids, and plus I want the credit for buying them things, not someone who doesn't exist. There's also the poor kids who don't get presents even though they were good all year, my mom went through that, so either Santa is bias against poor kids or he's not real.

Young children don't see the world the way adults do...everything is magical, non practical, glittery, new, exciting. I think it's important not to squelch that as they eventually outgrow it on their own. Santa is a symbol, a metaphor, a hero, of giving, random kindness, selflessness. He demonstrates all those qualities in a way that young children can understand.

I think that can be captured without telling a child that Santa is actually real, and is the one who delivers the gifts across the world. As a kid I loved watching the old Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, and thought they were magical, but I didn't believe they were actually real. I loved imagining things, so I don't think not believing in Santa stunted any of that.

I do have some issues with Santa though, partly because of how poor kids don't get presents even if they were good all year, if they believe in him, and I find that really sad. Like I said my mom went through that, her mom was crazy telling her to be good so Santa brings her presents. My mom was really good and every Christmas got no presents because she was poor and her mom was mentally crazy(literally). So my mom seriously thought that Santa hated her. She was relieved when she found out he wasn't real, because it meant he didn't exist so he couldn't hate her and that she really was a good girl. So it's not a wonderful thing for all kids to believe in, only kids who get presents. So she didn't want me and my sister to believe in him after what she went through. So I just have a different view on it all. I don't think it's worth the lie in the end.

[joelunchbox 0]

I was around 8, so was my son. He actually out witted the tooth fairy at the age of 5 though. One night he put a tooth under his pillow and didn't tell me. So the next morning he proudly came in to tell me that I was the tooth fairy and that she doesn't exist because she would have known the the tooth was under there if she was real.

I couldn't lie to him and I actually he thought he was quite clever for doing that. He set me up the little buggar!

So, what was so smart about not getting some money? haha

You can be too smart for your own good!!

[joelunchbox 0]

My sister is 10 and in sixth grade. My mom seems to think that she she still believes in Santa. I know my sister and she's a smart cookie, so I just don't buy it.

This is a good question because next christmas, I am hoping I will have an eight year old daughter to re-experience christmas with. I am curious what she "believes" and what she wants to believe.

I think the best way to handle the "is there a santa" question is to ask the child what they think and why they think that.

I don't think you should carry it on too long but there is an adult way of viewing santa. At some point, don't we all become santa to somebody??? I love the cookies and milk that come with the job. And I have even been a store santa one year. That will really open your eyes as to how a child sees the world! My dad was a santa too!! So, I guess I am a second generation santa!! I think my son would be a good santa also. Ha ha, errr HO HO!!!

[RandyandRina 2]

I still believe in Santa even at this age that I have kids and I am the one doing the Santa Hard to let the kids know that the real Santa is really the parents..it kinda breaks my heart.

[sweet_peach 0]

I told my kids that as soon as they stop believing in Santa he stops coming to bring presents

So they still believe. Its so cute.

We will be seeing Santa this weekend for pics.....

[Emancipation 2]

When i was in first grade it was "fun" for the big kids to tell us little kids.. hey there's no such thing as Santa.. it would usually make the 1st grader bawl all the way home on the bus..

That was how I found out.. cried like the little girl i was..

[TracyLuis 0]

I can't remember ever believing in Santa Claus...

[Nessa 23]

i was younger than 8. don't remember exactly when.

[Lou Lou 1]

I found out when I was 7 and promptly told my 4 year old neighbor who ran home crying. I was then frogmarched over there and had to tell him I was lying about it. I still have a problem with lying to this day. It just doesn't sit right with me.

[raymaga 25]

My first child was quite old when he found out.... I think it was Grade 5 (I'm Canadian, so it's not "5th Grade").

He found out because the kids in Grade 5 answered the Kindergarten kids' Santa letters and he came home absolutely crushed.

My 2 younger kids found out much younger, probably thanks to their older brother!!!!

[doodlebugg 10]

my 10 yr old still believes but is starting to ask tricky questions like how does he get from house to house in one night. I said with Santa anything is possible.