I took my kids and one of my 8 year old daughter's friends to see Lion King 3D yesterday, and we have about a 90 minute ride to a nice theater, so we went there for a treat. On the way there, the little girl (also 8) leaned over to my daughter and said don't tell your brothers because they are too young, but there is no Santa or Easter Bunny. My mom told me." Ugh. I know we won't get much more out of my daughter, but I want one more Christmas out of her for Santa. It's magical to me...and others. I do not begrudge anyone for telling their kids sooner than I have, but I want my kids to believe as long as possible. So what do you say to the kid that tells your kid Santa isn't real? My daughter was ok when I told her that he is real and it's okay if some people don't believe. If she asks me to tell her the truth, I will. But as long as she is content with believing, I'm happy. What do you tell your kdis when others stop believing?
Okay, I will stop freaking out. Not happy with the fact that she was told, but she's that age where a lot of kids are coming out of believing. I will just make sure I tell her not to tell anyone else. The funny thing was, is that she replied that Santa is the fun part of Christmas, that we celebrate Jesus' birth and that's why Santa brings in our family 3 gifts, just like the wise men. But part of the fun of Christmas is the magic of Santa for little kids :). I'm not ready to let go of that for any of my kiddo's yet!
I use to tell my kids " Do you really think I have that much money to spend on toys". All year long when they would ask for a toy I would say "Sorry I just can't afford that." So at christmas Santa was VERY real, who else could come up with all that loot. That usually got 1 to 2 more years of believing out of them. I would say if their friends didn't belive it was probably because they were Naughty and didn't get as much as them.
My daughter is 10 and we were hoping for one more year too. At a playdate some kid told her there wasn't any Santa Claus and she came home upset.
I told her that Santa is Magic, and once you know how Santa works then it's like knowing how a magic trick is done. Once you know how the trick is done, it won't work for you anymore and the magic of Christmas will be lost. BUT as long as you believe, then Santa will continue to come and bring presents. I told her it was her choice whether to believe or not, just like it's every child's choice to believe. The boy at the playdate has chosen not to believe anymore and so Santa will not be doing his Magic at his house...how sad.
Then I asked her which she was going to choose...to believe in the Magic of Santa or believe what the boy at the playdate said. She said she is choosing to believe.
I'm not sure whether we will really get one more year or if she's just going to play along. But I do know that once the Christmas season starts with the lights and the trees and decorations...I think the Magic will win. It always does :)
*I'm* 32 and *I* believe in Santa.
I know most people don't. BUT there IS a magic about christmas, and a really, really crazy thing that happens where parents all over the world have something come over them, and even if it means they don't eat in order to do it, presents from santa arrive every year. My personal belief is that the spirit of christmas IS santa, and that he's as real as any other spirit. That parents make a contract with this spirit when their child is born, or they don't. When they don't... fine. The presents are from them. When they DO, something really startling and amazing happens. And it's not just parents. People of all ages, of soooo many religions, all around the world WORK to make christmas happen, to bring santa, for those they've never even met.
Just because he doesn't drop by and have a cup of coffee with me, doesn't mean that there's not a god. Just because I can't touch love, doesn't mean it isn't real. I think that some things are SO REAL they don't need to be audited, and can't be measured by anything except the light in someone's eyes.
Its sort of tradition for kids to tell each other. No way would i encourage them to stop believing. Its a milestone that has to be discovered i think. My punk older brother told me
My oldest daughter's best friend told her that there wasn't a Santa because his mom told him so. When my daughter asked about it I said "Well what do you think?" She said she thought Ian was wrong and there was a Santa. So she believed for another year.
Once she was old enough not to believe in Santa I sat her down and told her that she had many wonderful years believing and her siblings should have that same magic. She was appointed a 'helper elf' and assisted me in all holidays from that point forward. It worked great because she was in charge of keeping that magic alive for her younger siblings while knowing the truth.
I think you did a good job. I am dreading the day this happens, honestly. I think I'll say something like "Not everyone believes, how sad for them."
When my daughter asked me if I was Santa I asked her how in the world she thought it was possible for me to deliver toys to all the children in the world. Lol. She was only 5 yo though but it bought us a litlle more time.
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As long as we believe in Santa, Santa will come to us. I still believe and every Christmas I have gifts from Santa.
I would ask her what she thinks. With my SD, we let her write to Santa a few more years after it slipped out and then we just kind of didn't make a big deal of it. We kept doing things as we always did, but she added the tradition of adding to each other's stockings before Christmas. That way we got something unknown and it was sweet to have a treat from the kids' point of view. If she really doesn't believe anymore, maybe say, "It was fun, though, wasn't it? You know what, Santa is more than a guy in a coat. He's an idea. He's about love and giving. Do you want to be Santa for somebody?" Then take her to an Angel Tree and let her pick out someone to "Santa".
I was seven. I found the special wrapping paper in February in my mom's closet. I wasn't upset at all, but I had to be bribed to play along for my little sister.
My daughter had a wonderful 1st grade Teacher.
At that age, some of the kids already stopped believing in anything.
When the kids asked her, IF there was a Santa (or Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy etc.), her reply was: "Well, Santa Clause is real at MY house...."
and that, was very effective, per any of the kids that believed or not.
My daughter is 8 almost 9 and my son is 5. And they still both believe, in everything.
I cherish that. They still have a kids' heart.
when I was 8 everyone at school was telling me that santa was not real. for weeks my mom kept telling me they were wrong and they just won't be getting any presents. Finally she told me the truth and I was devestated. Not because there was no santa but because for weeks my parents lied to me about. I felt stupid because I kept telling the kids at school they were wrong. And for that reason I am not telling my son that there is a santa.
I'm dreading that day :0(
