Santa - Seattle,WA

I say get at least one more good year out of it! I heard a good answer yesterday in fact. A lady I know said her son heard at school that Santa is really Mom and Dad and he asked her if it was them that bought the presents. She quickly responded that at those kid's houses it probably IS the parents buying the toys because once you stop believing then Santa doesn't bother visiting you anymore! He quickly decided that he DOES BELIEVE!!

You might frame it as santa is not a real person but is the spirit of giving which resides in each one of us. so that yes, you have been santa up to this point, but that now he can also take that responsibility on and decide how he would like to be santa this year.. give to the homeless, donate some of his old toys or allowance etc. Or if he has a younger sibling, to become santa to the little one. it's tough growing up.

Ask him, "what do you think?" and go from there. If he still says that he thinks Santa is real, then let him believe it. Sometimes kids will stop believing when they are "ready" and sometimes they want to hold on a little longer. It's sort of a rite of passage if you think about it, and some kids (like me) feel all big and clever when we figure it out. Others are more sad because in a way, another part of their childhood is over. If he is ready for the truth, you can tell him about the real Saint Nicholas and how traditions evolved over the years. You can also tell him that in a way, Santa is real, because he is in every one of us. And now that he knows the "big secret", he can be Santa to someone else.

I agree with Laurie's advice. However, around 2nd grade, kids start to figure it out... As sweet as it is for children to hold onto Santa, you don't want to set your child up to be teased or laughed at by his peers. I think there are times that parents need to let go of the Santa story in order to protect their maturing child from unnecessary playground ridicule.

Perhaps this is a good opportunity to discuss with him a related character building aspect: As he grows older, 'what if' he believes in something or holds a belief/value that is different than popular opinion--should he stick to his opinions or change his beliefs to follow what his friends think...

I think that if he is asking you, you should be honest and tell him the truth.

However, it doesn't hurt to end with a "Here at our house, Santa is real as long as you believe".....

it has worked well at our house with all our kids, ages 19, 16, 15, 10, 7, 5 & 2.

It's so sad when they stop believing!

Tell the truth. Answer him honestly and let him know that it is you, but is good holiday fun.

I have always told my step son "if you don't believe, you don't receive" Of course he was 13 when he figured out, thanks to his mother. :( Anyway, I was talking to my SIL yesterday and she came up with a good solution to keep them guessing. She tells her kids that if they don't believe in Santa, then he only give underwear. It just cracked me up. I thought that was pretty good.

If he asks.. ask him. "what do you think?" Then if he says he thinks it is you ask him," why?"

Let him know that Santa is real to the people that believe.

If he really wants to know.. tell him the truth, but again tell him Santa is in our heart and as long as we believe in what Santa stands for we can either receive or be like Santa..

Tell him about all the myths of Europe beginning with Hertha the Norwegian woman Santa. Continue with St. Nick who comes to Dutch children to fill their shoes on Dec. 6. And then tell him the truth. He has asked for it and deserves to know that Mom and Dad pitch hit for Santa. And, then get a letter to Santa from a child who has no hope of Christmas and let your son be the anonymous Santa for that child.

When I was growing up, my parents always told us "if you don't believe, you won't receive". I believed right up until the day I moved out when I was 20. LOL. I'm not looking forward to the day when our little one says she doesn't believe anymore :(. You could tell him that Santa is not an actual person and he doesn't have to believe in Santa...what's important is that he believes in the spirit of St. Nick and the magic that Santa represents.

Have him watch Polar Express tonight. It's about a kid who doesn't believe and in the end he does.

My 8 year old has been asking for the last couple of years. I tell her that Santa is real if you believe in him. If you stop believing, he stops being real.

When my daughter was little, we got the best advice on how to answer the question about whether Santa is real. You read between the lines: are they asking, "Santa's real, right?!" (in which case you answer, "Of course he is, honey!")or "Is Santa really real?" (in which case you level with them). I think if he has said he thinks you're Santa, you should treat him like the big boy he's getting to be and tell him the truth. My daughter is now 8 and two years ago she asked the question for real. She wanted this impossible gift--a magic, flying suit--and she really needed to know if Santa was real, so she would know if it was in the realm of possibility at all. She had a BIG cry, when I told her the truth, but I knew I had done the right thing. It would have felt icky to me to lie to her, when she was pinning such hopes on this impossible gift. After her big cry, we talked about how maybe there's not a real Santa, but it is pretty magical how all the parents in the world make him come alive on Christmas Day. We talked about her little brother and she decided she liked the idea of getting to "be" or be in on, the Santa myth for her little brother. In the end it was very positive. Good luck!

Be honest with him.

Ask him what he thinks or believes or wants to believe.

Santa is pretend so at some point, he's going to be sad about it. It might be easier now than if you continue to play it up for more years and his peers making fun of him.

He is going to have it figured out by next year if he is asking and hearing about it at school now. I would follow your heart. I told my sons that santa existed in all our hearts and is the spirit of christmas that spreads happiness and the special feeling we get this time of year. My oldest was 8 when he figured it out, my youngest was 9. I think it is sadder for the parents than the kids too.

Don't tell him. Tell him that you believe in Santa and he should make up his own mind. Talk to his teacher about what is happening. Ask her to talk the class about letting children to have their own believe system...ie religion, Santa. Respect in many areas.

I'm answering this very late and after Christmas. I wasn't sure how strongly my 7 YO believes in Santa; he's never said or asked anything and I don't know what he's heard at school. But I do know some of the kids at school don't believe.
Anyway, he was confused about something in his stocking and didn't know if it was his or his brother's. I told him what was in his stocking and what was in his brothers and he asked me, "How do you know?" I don't like to lie and told him because I stuffed them. I've never told him Santa stuffs his stocking; only some of the gifts say they're from Santa. He got very upset and said, "Santa is supposed to stuff my stocking!" So I changed my statement to, "He did, he left me a note telling me what was in it". I can now think of a half dozen other things that would have been better to say, like, "I watched you go through it", or anything. But it surprised me so much, that was the first thing out of my mouth.
I didn't know it would bother him so much. He knows not all the gifts come from Santa; we mark from Mom and Dad on at least half of them. Then there's friends and family that also bring things by. I want to tell him the truth so he is not teased by others at school, but at the same time, I do not want to burst his bubble. He is 7, going on 8 in Feb.
I asked my Mom when I stopped believing and she couldn't really remember. I do not recall, so guess it was not a big tramatic incident for me. She did say when she tried to tell me the truth I told her I didn't want to hear it and went on believing in Santa for a few more years regardless of her attempts.
I think I'll continue letting him "believe" for now and buy the, "Is Santa Real" book mentioned in one of the other answers.

Watch the Polar Express with him and tell you believe in the magic!