What age do kids generally stop believing in Santa?

[BOSSY]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I appreciate your psychoanalysis of my motivations, but one kid saying Santa isn't real to a class of 28 other kids who believe he is doesn't exactly 'out' Santa. It's not about me not wanting my kid to grow up - naivety has its perks and I don't want to be unnecessarily hasty in taking away some of the wonder of innocence.

My kids are so excited about Santa coming in a couple of weeks. They talk to the elf on the shelf every morning. Why on God's green earth would I want to take that away from them 20 days before Christmas? Just because some other kid's parents aren't good at keeping an age-old Christmas secret? If it becomes a bullying problem for my kid (lol), I'll adjust my approach. I think for now I'll stick with the majority of parents and let my 7-year-old believe in Old Saint Nick for at least this Christmas.

Here here! My daughter is 10 and still believes... I'm thinking it is the last year she will unfortunately ... Believing in Santa is an amazing thing for a kid - everyone should be so lucky as to have something so great and fun to believe in - it's a shame everyone can't...

[V]

Originally Posted by ernie

In the end I don't think they really care, but it does remove one common crutch parents rely on to get kids to behave.

We just tell our kids about Zwarte Piet, the most racist and scary "Christmas" character there is.

[FlamesAddiction]

My niece was 8 when her world came crashing down. First her sister told her, but my 8 year old niece was not convinced and cited photos of Santa as evidence that he existed. Eventually her friends told her and she went to her mother and of course my sister had to tell her the truth. She was actually pretty upset that they kept the gig going for that long.

I would say just tell him the truth after this Christmas.

Tell him that Krampus is definitely real though!

[Ashasx]

I can't believe some of the responses in this thread. Surely sarcastic, I hope. 8-9 is too old? Why? What kind of activities are 8 year old kids doing that require them to have knowledge that Santa isn't real?

I sure wish I still believed in Santa. Keep that magic going on as long as possible.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by _Q_

Dude tell your kids. 8 and 7 is way too old to still be believing in Santa Claus.

I remember this girl in my class in grade four that believed in Santa Claus and we totally ruined her for it.

Edit: what's the point of the whole Santa Claus charade anyways? I never understood that. Why not tell your kids that you're buying them gifts instead of some fictional character?

Do you have kids? Do you even have a frame of reference for just how young seven is? Hopefully this will give you some perspective: my son also believes in the tooth fairy. At seven, he has lost exactly one tooth so far. That's one visit from the tooth fairy.

Did you believe in the tooth fairy? Do you recall more than one visit? I know I do, which means I was still believing in Santa/Easter Bunny/Tooth Fairy/etc. at my kid's age and beyond.

When you don't have kids or you have like a two year old, seven can seem old. Let me tell you, it's not. They're still totally little kids at that age.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I think it's generally when they find where all the presents are hidden, or start snooping for the presents. Of course in the 21st century world of Wikipedia, they might find out pretty young.

[Table 5]

Some of my best memories of childhood are of Xmas and all it's magical wonder....although being a kid in Europe, for us Santa came during Saint Nicholas Day on Dec 6th (which when we lived in Austria, also included being chased around our village at night by guy dressed up as the devil, scaring the crap out of us), and the gifts on Xmas were brought by "baby Jesus", haha. All made up, and all amazing.

Screw the truth. Keep it going as long as you can, there's plenty of years afterwards for reality to crap on their head. Ignorance truly is bliss.

[Drury18]

Originally Posted by V

We just tell our kids about Zwarte Piet, the most racist and scary "Christmas" character there is.

I'm Dutch and used to think that. Then I learned about Krampus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus

[ma-skis.com]

my boy is 7, he's asked us and we said that when he stops believing, Santa will stop coming.

So I think he has a suspicion, but we all still get to play the game.

[You Need a Thneed]

We have never raised our kids to believe the Santa Claus story.

It doesn't really fit our family tradition of having presents under the tree well before Christmas eve.

Either way, I see no reason to spoil kids' fun. There's no specific age where belief in Santa Claus must stop.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Drury18

I'm Dutch and used to think that. Then I learned about Krampus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus

Krampus visits tomorrow night. Don't forget to clean your boots!


I love the ugly Krampus sweaters:

http://middleofbeyond.com/products/krampus

http://laughingsquid.com/krampus-swe...stmas-sweater/

[V]

Originally Posted by Drury18

I'm Dutch and used to think that. Then I learned about Krampus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus

Holy crap, that is scarier. Zwarte Piet still has him beat on the racist angle, though.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Drury18

I'm Dutch and used to think that. Then I learned about Krampus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus

Yep, that's who I referenced above. Krampus. In our little village, it was probably some teen dressed up as the devil, with a broom of thorns, chasing the little kids around the streets at night. Totally scared the crap out of us kids, but after that, Santa came and gave us presents...so all in all, totally worth it.

[malcolmk14]

I teach grade 5 and 6, so I have kids between 9 and 11. At that point they all know Santa isn't real (except for a couple) so we talk about it. We talk about how it is a tradition and I question them on whether it is important or not to preserve traditions in our society regardless of whether we know them to be true or not. I usually have them write in December about a cultural or societal tradition that they carry on or pass down or try to preserve, and ask them to explain why it's important.

IMO Sliver, I would approach it like this. Ask your son what he thinks. Ask questions and see what he has to say. If he questions Santa's existence, ask him why. If he gives a well thought out rational argument as to why Santa can't exist, congratulate him and explain why it's important he doesn't ruin it for anyone else. If he says it's because the kid in his class told him, tell him that's no reason to believe anything and teach him that you can't just blindly trust other people to tell you the truth. Sometimes you have to look at the evidence, use your brain, and figure things out for yourself.

[SeeGeeWhy]

I think once your kid is old enough to understand abstract concepts, its ok to tell them the truth. I clued in when I woke up one xmas eve and saw my mom wrapping presents, talking on the phone and having a great time with a glass of wine. She looked like she was having fun, and I realized that they'd been doing it the whole time. I think I was in grade 3 or 4, and I wasn't particularly upset about it.

[Sainters7]

I'm fairly certain I was 9, or even 10. I was seriously questioning it the last couple years before that, then it became official when I confronted my parents about it.

Some people really found out when they were 6-7? That would suck


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[Sliver]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

I teach grade 5 and 6, so I have kids between 9 and 11. At that point they all know Santa isn't real (except for a couple) so we talk about it. We talk about how it is a tradition and I question them on whether it is important or not to preserve traditions in our society regardless of whether we know them to be true or not. I usually have them write in December about a cultural or societal tradition that they carry on or pass down or try to preserve, and ask them to explain why it's important.

IMO Sliver, I would approach it like this. Ask your son what he thinks. Ask questions and see what he has to say. If he questions Santa's existence, ask him why. If he gives a well thought out rational argument as to why Santa can't exist, congratulate him and explain why it's important he doesn't ruin it for anyone else. If he says it's because the kid in his class told him, tell him that's no reason to believe anything and teach him that you can't just blindly trust other people to tell you the truth. Sometimes you have to look at the evidence, use your brain, and figure things out for yourself.

That's a sick answer, man. Thanks. I'll keep that in my back pocket for the next time it comes up or if my daughter comes to me with the question.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

I'm fairly certain I was 9, or even 10. I was seriously questioning it the last couple years before that, then it became official when I confronted my parents about it.

Some people really found out when they were 6-7? That would suck


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Why would it suck? The only reason kids even care about Santa is because they get gifts from him, once the kids realize they still get the gifts they still love Christmas.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

I teach grade 5 and 6, so I have kids between 9 and 11. At that point they all know Santa isn't real (except for a couple) so we talk about it. We talk about how it is a tradition and I question them on whether it is important or not to preserve traditions in our society regardless of whether we know them to be true or not. I usually have them write in December about a cultural or societal tradition that they carry on or pass down or try to preserve, and ask them to explain why it's important.

IMO Sliver, I would approach it like this. Ask your son what he thinks. Ask questions and see what he has to say. If he questions Santa's existence, ask him why. If he gives a well thought out rational argument as to why Santa can't exist, congratulate him and explain why it's important he doesn't ruin it for anyone else. If he says it's because the kid in his class told him, tell him that's no reason to believe anything and teach him that you can't just blindly trust other people to tell you the truth. Sometimes you have to look at the evidence, use your brain, and figure things out for yourself.

Quoted for awesomeness and I'm outta thanks.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Why would it suck? The only reason kids even care about Santa is because they get gifts from him, once the kids realize they still get the gifts they still love Christmas.

I really don't think that's true.