For those of you who have Santa come to the house ... At what age did your children find out the secret? How did it happen? Was it one single moment, or was it more of a gradual realization? I don't remember ever being told about Santa, I just remember kind of knowing. I understand there are families that don't even bring Santa into the picture, and that is totally your choice. This question is for the families who do Santa. I am just wondering how much longer I have to skate on this tradition. (My niece is 12 and doesn't want to give up on the magic, so she says she still believes) My daughter is 7 and my son is 4.
It should be a great season this year. I just hope it's not the last.
I really like Mom2KCKs answer that "if you believe in the magic of Santa, then he is real". I may be using that. My sister - mom of my 12 year old niece - always said, "Well, what do you believe?" when she would ask her about Santa.
It was kind of gradual. My daughter came to the conclusion at 8 right after Christmas -- actually she realized about the toothfairy and that went on to other such as Santa
Kids usually start to ask questions when they try to figure out the logistics-
- How can one man circle the globe in one night?
- How does he know that we weren't in FL for Christmas this year?
- How come there's a Santa at every mall?
- How come Santa and mom have the same handwriting?
- My friend at school said....
Around age 7 or 8 they start to figure it out, but they won't admit it until much later. In some cases, never! As someone else mentioned, kids are smart and I have to guess that there is a real fear that if they openly admit that they don't believe anymore, the presents will no longer appear from the jolly old elf.
I think I figured it all out by the time I was 8, but didn't say a word to my parents about it until I was 11 or 12- sobbed when I told them that I knew the truth, but promised not to share the info with my little sisters!
my daughter is 9 and she just figured it out this year. i told her when she asked. last year, i think she knew..and i told her i didn't want her to be disappointed if i told her the truth, so , did she REALLY want to know? (lol) she said no, nevermind don't tell her. so, this year she asked again. and i said the same things. she said yes. so i told her. even though i told her that parents keep the special tradition of "santa" i still told her if you don't "believe" santa does not bring presents. so, even though now she knows the truth, she still "believes" in santa :)
I really think kids start having doubts right about the time they realize you can go to the store and buy the same stuff Santa brings. It just gradually builds from that. My kids have said around 7 they had serious doubts but played along because it seemed to mean so much to us. By 10 they were done placating their parents. :)
One interesting comment from my daughter after she came clean. The next year she said dammit, I knew I should have faked it longer. I knew you would put us on the same budget you did for our birthdays.
Your niece may not be in it for the magic, kids are smart.
It's a good question. I hope my kiddos never ask but I would guess realistically this could be our last year - my son is almost 8 - but he's a pretty naive kiddo (I was the same way) and probably won't question it too much.
Case in point- we're spending Christmas in NY and coming back on NYE (the 31st) and I just can't deal with the idea of walking into our house and having all OUR christmas presents right there for hte kiddos to see. I just imagine them wanting to open them right away - and I know everyone is going to be exhausted from the trip.
So I told my son yesterday that I had been emailing Santa (didn't bat an eye) and he said he'd make a special trip to our house on New Years Eve to deliver our gifts since we'd be in NY.
He was thrilled...
And in anticipation of the day when he asks if Santa is real - I've already come up with my response. We also adopt a family and pick names off the giving tree at his school - and I'm going to tell him that while an actual Santa does not exist - we get to BE santa to those little boys and girls that don't get presents from their moms and dads. It is one of the reasons I always give like that at the holidays - I love being Santa and keeping that spirit alive - I hope my kids grow to appreciate it too!
Believing in Santa is childlike faith, my sons girlfriends brother is 10 and he says he doesn't believe in Santa, I told him there is a Santa for those who do believe. For my kids they were 7, 4 and 2, we were living in Japan at the time and Santa and the elfs were Japaness, and then at our navy Christmas party Santa wa white so they got a little susppicios, but it din't change their childlike wonder about Christmas. J.
My son is 12 and my daughter will be 7. I will be 50 soon. We all believe in Santa. I've worked for Santa for many years reporting on naughty and nice kids. My son had a friend tell him Santa was not real. He simply replied " well you have your view and I have mine lets leave it at that." He also asked the kid how he knew that there was no Santa but his friend couldn't answer. So he said "just because you can't see him doesn't mean he's not real. Heck my Mom's old and she still gets presents from Santa because she believes. Hold on to your belief we all need a little magic in our lives.
A true believer.
AKC
My daughter just came up to me while I was looking something up on the computer and stood by my side and said with such skeptism, "Mom, is there REALLY a santa claus?" I of course turned it around on her and said, "What do you think?" Well... it turns out she was "putting all the pieces together" (age 9) and thinking how unrealistic it could possibly be for a man to deliver presents to ALL of the children in the entire world in ONE night. She also thought that it really couldn't have been Santa that delivered her friend's trampoline because how could that fit, along with several other presents, on his sleigh????
Her twin brother was playing his DS right next to us and he acted like it was no big deal because he was thinking the say thing. I was glad they weren't mad at me for playing santa for many years. I was mad at my parents when they told me and I told them that I was so angry with them for lying to me. (Boy... I'm glad my kids were fine about it and they are kind of be naive about things.)
So it was fun while it lasted, but to tell you the truth, I'm really okay with it being all done. Next chapter.... moving on! Our next chapter will be them having fun knowing the truth, yet acting that they believe for their little cousins. Oh... my kids also started thinking that there is NO WAY Santa could possibly fit all those cookies in his belly in one night from each and every house full of kids in the world! (I thought that was funny and clever to realize that!)
i accidently let it slip to my 9 year old son this past year. i didn't mean too. but we have also told him that santa is the spirit of giving but Christ is the real reason for Christmas.
