When did your kids stop believing?

[mustangclaire]

In Father Christmas? Our boy is ten. Every year we do the "Santa's footprints" (flour thro' a colinder, round a cut out big foot) to his stocking at end of the bed, and to the plate of mince pies and glass of Baileys downstairs). I can't help wondering if he is more "playing along" now, cos he doesn't want to hurt our feelings. Apparently half his class still believe and half don't, according to other mums in his class.

At what age did your kids (or you, for that matter) stop believing he was real? How did it happen? What did you say? Curious.

 

[Walter Oobleck]

I think it was scheduled to happen to us/me in the third grade. (eight years old?) Mr. Milde, the school superintendent, always dressed in a black suit, white shirt, tie, gray hair Vitalised back, gray mustache, glasses, appeared in Mrs. Burge's classroom one winter/December day and read to the class from a piece of paper. I don't recall exactly what the story on the paper told, but the gist of it was that Santa Claus is not real. I think he musta made the rounds of the classrooms that day and I recall a...meeting...of Mr. Milde (pronounced Mill-dee) and Mrs. Burge (a gunslinger...she had only a thumb and two fingers on one hand...the result of a sewing factory accident). Maybe the paper he read questioned the reality of Santa and maybe I left for recess with a "yeah, right" attitude, what does he know? My friend, Kris, held a firmer believe and thought Mr. Milde should be tarred/feathered and run out of town on a rail.

Gave my parents fits for a year or two before...lying in bed, listening and waiting, throwing the covers back and running for the steps at the slightest sound from downstairs...I wonder if it was that year, my third-grade year? ...as I developed ear aches in both ears...from the cold? Yeah, I think that was it...from the cold...and Ma took me to see Dr. Kolb over the Christmas break and Mrs. Burge was there, too. So not only did my Santa bubble burst...but I learned teachers got sick, too. My parents tried to maintain the Santa thingy by telling me Christmas morning, maybe there's something in the basement...maybe with you trying to catch him he dropped something on the way out...

Santa had to come in through the basement door as winter that is how we went in and out. We had this fake plywood fireplace that the old man made...Ma covered it with a brick-pattern sticky paper and we hung our socks on that, nativity scene on top, other Christmas decorations...so anyway, I go down in the basement and over by the door there's a present there propped against the stoop. Brought it upstairs...no name on it...turned out to be a Yahtzee game.

 

[king family fan]

i think all different ages. My son is nine now and still believes. But has started asking a few questions. Not sure he will believe by Christmas time 2014.

 

[arista]

I think that kids start disbelieving early and early, so sad.

 

[GNTLGNT]

...by the time they hit middle school....but they still have to have their Lifesaver Christmas books...go figure...

 

[Neesy]

What are you guys talkin' about? Waddaya mean there is no Santa! ??

 

[HollyGolightly]

In Father Christmas? Our boy is ten. Every year we do the "Santa's footprints" (flour thro' a colinder, round a cut out big foot) to his stocking at end of the bed, and to the plate of mince pies and glass of Baileys downstairs). I can't help wondering if he is more "playing along" now, cos he doesn't want to hurt our feelings. Apparently half his class still believe and half don't, according to other mums in his class.

At what age did your kids (or you, for that matter) stop believing he was real? How did it happen? What did you say? Curious.

Wow - you do way more to facilitate that Christmas magic than I ever did. All 3 of our's figured it out when they were 8, or there abouts. Its OK with me - I was ready to start sleeping in on Christmas day. I do miss those preschool years though when they would get so excited they couldn't contain their joy. Oh, they were precious!

 

[Neesy]

 

[HollyGolightly]

Oh wow! You know, it won't be many more years before we'll be like those folks in Wall-E with our virtual lives going on all around us. Craaazy train!

 

[Neesy]

Oh wow! You know, it won't be many more years before we'll be like those folks in Wall-E with our virtual lives going on all around us. Craaazy train!

I just like the kids in this little video - it reminds me of how special it was when they were little and believed in miracles

 

[Walter Oobleck]

...the Christmas after the one above Ma kept asking me what I wanted for Christmas...and I kept telling her "a big stick!" All that paha-boyga stuff. Guilt had set in and began to gnaw on the old Santa bone...there were always a pile of gifts under the tree...and you start thinking about how much that all cost. Looking back...I dunno how they did it. Not like we were rich or anything. Anyway, Santa granted my wish and Christmas morning, there was a "big stick" in my stocking...something I never expected to see. I no longer have it, alas.

 

[AnnaMarie]

My oldest is 30. When he was 7 or 8 I was babysitting his best friend 5 days a week. One day they got into a big argument about Santa. I kept my mouth shut and just enjoyed the show.

friend: there is no such thing as Santa.
Son: yes there is
Friend: no..it's just your parents, there's no way he could go all around the world in one night.
Son: you're telling me, my parents are Santa, the tooth fairy, and the. Easter bunny?
friend: No! The Easter Bunny is REAL.
Son: so, there's a big giant rabbit that hops around the world (imitating rabbit) but no big fat guy with flying reindeer?
Friend<looks a bit unsure of himself>
Son: you've met my mother. Do you really believe SHE'D do all that?
Friend: <looking at me> I guess you're right. Maybe Santa only goes to the good kids, and parents give presents to the rest of us.

 

[Neesy]

(Stole this from the "Jealous of the Big Threads" thread (but it seems appropriate here!)
Thanks Autumn Gust

 

[mustangclaire]

Every year I do a personalised message to our boy using the PNP (portable north pole) thing on internet. It really is the most magical thing, you fill in bits about your child, including some pictures, then a guy who sure as hell LOOKS like Santa records a special email video for your child. You should have seen Sonny's face the first time he got one from us, watching this guy call him by his name, flicking through his "naughty or nice" book, and there's a picture of his face from a piccie of that year. It's all done in the style of "Santa has a special message for you", he clicks on it (it comes via email, to me), and bam. There's Santa sat there, talking to him, calling him by his name, elves around etc. It costs about 4 quid and it's priceless. I wonder if this is the last year I shall be doing it. Sniffle sniffle. Anyone want to do it themselves just type PNP portable north pole, into google. It's so personalised because you can put in there things your child might have tried really hard with during the year (being helpful/cleaning bedroom/eating vegetables etc). It's great. I believe you can also do an adult one for friends/family too, for a bit of a laugh.

 

[cat in a bag]

Both of my older boys were around 10. And all I remember saying to them was "Don't you dare tell your brother!" to the oldest, and "Don't you dare tell your sister and brother!" to the 2nd boy. I know I was sad with them and for them and that we had a talk about it but that is all that sticks in my head, isn't that terrible?!?

My youngest had questions already last Christmas, being in kindergarten exposes them to all sorts of new ideas! But I told him that that was really too bad, that his little friend didn't believe in Santa, because you have to believe for him to come to your house. That seems to have held. He turns 7 the day after Christmas. My daughter hasn't had questions yet really, she will be 8 a few days after Christmas. So we're getting to the end of all that magic.

So far, the 2 oldest weren't angry about it...I was furious with my parents when I found out! It was an obstacle course table type game and I loved it. But the box had the price written on it in marker and my mom had tried to scratch it off/cover it up with pen. I said to them,"what is that? Santa doesn't buy his presents!!!" Game over for me.

 

[king family fan]

Every year I do a personalised message to our boy using the PNP (portable north pole) thing on internet. It really is the most magical thing, you fill in bits about your child, including some pictures, then a guy who sure as hell LOOKS like Santa records a special email video for your child. You should have seen Sonny's face the first time he got one from us, watching this guy call him by his name, flicking through his "naughty or nice" book, and there's a picture of his face from a piccie of that year. It's all done in the style of "Santa has a special message for you", he clicks on it (it comes via email, to me), and bam. There's Santa sat there, talking to him, calling him by his name, elves around etc. It costs about 4 quid and it's priceless. I wonder if this is the last year I shall be doing it. Sniffle sniffle. Anyone want to do it themselves just type PNP portable north pole, into google. It's so personalised because you can put in there things your child might have tried really hard with during the year (being helpful/cleaning bedroom/eating vegetables etc). It's great. I believe you can also do an adult one for friends/family too, for a bit of a laugh.

We do this as well.eally is a neat thing.

 

[DiO'Bolic]

No Father Christmas??? What'chu talkin' ' bout, Willis?

 

[Out of Order]

After watching Bad Santa..........

 

[skimom2]

Maybe 10 or so? Littlest is just 7, so I hope to have a couple more years with him We start preparations early, by talking about the real St. Nicholas (without saying how or when he died, of course), and emphasizing that anyone who buys a gift out of love is being Santa to someone else--they have that feeling. None of the older kids made a big deal about it, and all have fun anyway. They like to 'be Santa' now, by taking names off of our church's Angel Tree and buying gifts for other kids in need. I believe in Santa, because Santa is love

 

[GNTLGNT]

...I can still remember when the boys were much younger-but beginning to question the Obese Elf's existence, my buddy who heads up the local Secret Santa campaign-stopped by the house one night WITH Santa to visit them before their next stop...the looks were for the ages...