Another Santa question...how old to they believe?

[greenemami]

Just curious-if your kids believe in Santa, at what age did they start questioning it and/or totally stop believing? Just looking ahead to next year

*Can't edit the title, but obviously it should say "do" they believe

[DaughterOfKali]

My son just turned 7 last month and he's seriously questioning it. I don't think he really believes anymore but he's keeping that to himself.

[Oubliette8]

I was 9 when I had the "Santa is really mom and Dad" talk. I had been questioning it before that, but finally asked my parents that year. Despite having pretty much figured it out on my own, there were still a lot of tears. If it helps, I was the oldest. I told my younger sisters at younger ages- maybe 7ish?, although I'm not sure if it had the same impact on them as finding out from our parents. You know, kids talk about Santa between themselves, but for me it wasn't really true until I heard it from my parents.

Because I had younger siblings, Santa continued to visit me anyway. When I was a teenager my parents gave me the option of having Santa come or just getting the cash the would have spent on gifts. I chose Santa.

[octobermom]

My 7 year old knows the "truth" we have from the start played the Santa game but its always been a pretend game and have told her such shes even looking foward to helping to play a Santa role with her new sister next year.. Saying that though her own imangination and desire to make a certain degree of "magic" real meaning she still wants to hold some degree of Santa magic as real. Its goes back and forth and I'm fine with it. I was the same way while I knew perfectly well and pretty young (not sure exactly how young) there was still for years a NEED to believe the fanasty a little childhood magic and total innocence I knew would go but I wasn't willing too jsut yet.

Deanna

[LynnS6]

Our ds began questioning at age 6 and asked outright at 7. He then generalized Santa not being real to Jesus not being real.... However, at 8, he is either doing a stellar job of pretending or has forgotten that he knows the truth.

Dd is 5 and is just now asking "Is Santa real?" She's definitely not ready to give up her belief because she'll adamantly insist that he is real when I ask what she thinks. But the question itself tells me she's got her doubts.

I'd be surprised at a child who's older 9 or older who still believed.

[greenemami]

thanks everyone-the reason I ask is that dsd (8.5) seems to still believe or is at least pretending very well, and I would prefer to do more of the "santa is a nice story/fun game to play" approach with dd 2.5 and the new one coming. Dd was too little to really worry about it this year, but next year I'd like to explain that a little-but certainly without crushing dsd's belief if possible. I"d be surprised if she still believed next year too-she'll be 9.5-and really it is possible she was just playing along this year for the sake of her sister-just not sure how to ask that, lol. I can't remember how old I was when I stopped believing, so thanks for your input

[Alyantavid]

My 7 year old still firmly believes.

[Ceinwen]

My older dd is 7 and occasionally asks questions. I neither confirm nor deny, I turn it back to her 'What do you think?' When the day comes that she comes right out and asks me, I'll tell her the truth.

I was the oldest of five kids (two younger brothers, two younger sisters) and my parents finally told me the truth the Christmas I was 12 because I was being teased so much at school for still believing in Santa.

[columbusmomma]

My 7.5 yr.old still believes.

[4Marmalade]

Originally Posted by Ceinwen

My older dd is 7 and occasionally asks questions. I neither confirm nor deny, I turn it back to her 'What do you think?' When the day comes that she comes right out and asks me, I'll tell her the truth.

This is exactly what we do (and plan to do) with ds1 who is 7. This was the first year that he asked questions and we could kind of see the wheels turning. I think he is suspicious but has kept that to himself for now. It was a little bittersweet for me this year thinking this might be the last year he really believes in Santa. Hopefully he has many more years ahead believing in the magic of Christmas which we try to focus on when we talk about Santa.

[redpajama]

My 4-year-old (5 in February) asked us outright this year, "Is Santa real?" We did our typical, "What do *you* think?" thing and sort of avoided answering (we weren't really ready to be done with it, to be honest). He told us later that he didn't think Santa was real, but once it came down to Christmas Eve or the day before, he totally got into leaving cookies and milk for Santa, and the whole bit. Christmas morning, I think he was just excited and not asking any questions. He was at an event with a "Santa," and he sat on his lap and played along, but he didn't feel the need to ask Santa for anything--although he did make sure he mentioned to his dad and I some of the things he'd like. When we asked him about it, he said, "If Santa really wants to get me something, he can surprise me."

Anyway, I don't think he *really* believes Santa is real at this point, but he seems happy to just sort of go along with the fun for now.

[Tamsin]

DD1 just turned 8 in December, and has been seriously questioning it this year. I didnt specifically answer either way though. More just threw it back at her with "well what do you think ?". To which she just keeps replying that she doesnt know. I also told her that if you dont believe you dont receive, and she didnt mention it again then.
She also had the tooth fairy visit again last night. With no questions asked. Even with me forgetting to do my tooth fairy duties two nights in a row. I felt terrible, ha ha. I finally remembered to do it on the third night. I thought when she didnt show up two nights in a row, she would have figured it out for sure.

[ProtoLawyer]

My stepdaughter has never had an absolute belief in Santa--"real enough" was her answer this year (she's 7). I think Santa is similar in her mind to a TV character. (She does have a pretty firm belief in God, though, in spite of atheist/agnostic parents. She's been attending Unitarian Sunday school, at her own request.)

I grew up Jewish, without Santa, and my parents say I was always a lot more rational/less magical than most children my age (but that was, I'm sure, personality rather than not having Santa. My sister, raised similarly, had a huge sense of fantasy). Even at 3-4, I'd be trying to figure out how the magician did his magic tricks, rather than believing it was the dust or the smoke or just plain magic. My fantasy play was almost entirely reality based (house, school, swimming lessons on the big shag rug), or science fiction (i.e. stuff that *could* happen, but hasn't been invented yet)--never unicorns or fairies.

But we did have the Tooth Fairy, and I figured it out after the second tooth (so maybe 6-ish)...it just didn't add up.