Do your kids still believe, and at what age did they figure it out?

My oldest son at 11 still believes, my oldest DD 12 doesn't and my 9 (soon to be 10) year old son figured it out.....but the rest still believe. Oldest DD just figured it out over the last couple of months, which really surprised me......



edited to add: title should say your kids......what can I say I haven't had my normal amount of coffee yet!

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"You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward."

Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes

O-H-I-O

Yes, mine do. My ds is 9 and dd is almost 8.

My 10 year old DD (in 5th grade) found out last year when she was in the 4th grade. She had been asking us the year before (when she was in 3rd grade). Last year, she point blank came out and asked me if we were Santa? At that point, I couldn't just lie to her. She said the kids at school were all saying it and I didn't want her to argue with them about it and be totally wrong.

My 9 year old DD (4th grade) doesn't know yet but she has also been told at school, but her thoughts are still that they are just wrong. She hasn't asked me yet - basically just told me what other kids have said and then told me that they are wrong. My DH thinks we should tell her, but I just hate too because she really does still believe so much. That's the difference between her and my oldest. Sydney really didn't believe, but I just confirmed it. I still think she was a little bit disappointed to find out FOR SURE though. I think a little part of her still believed. Kaleigh still 95% believes. She's been told by friends, but still believes.

My DS is 5 in Kindergarten still completely believes.

My DS at 17 doesnt. I'd say he was around 12 when he announced he knew the truth

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"Never loan your car to someone you have given birth too"

My son stopped believing around 11-12 yrs of age.

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We're off to never never land

My 13 year old dd knows the truth, but two younger brothers still believe. She believed up until age 11 or so, but plays along. Deep down though, she believes!

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

At 13 and 18 - no way!

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

We have talk our kids about the "spirit" of Santa. When we are asked if "santa is real" we say that we are all Santa so the spirit of santa is real. They know the guy in the mall is NOT santa and just a costumed guy. My oldest (8) has asked point blank and I always reply "what do you think?" listen, comment and then make my comment above....

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

Figure what out?

Is there something I should know about Santa????

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."

i'm absolutely heartbroken - my 6 year old came home from 1st grade 2 weeks ago and said "jordan said there's no santa or easter bunny, that it's just your mom and dad". i did my best to convince him otherwise, but i had tears in my eyes as i left the room when i finished talking to him...i'm FURIOUS at this stupid kid who told him otherwise. he's only 6!

My DD , who is 8, asked the other night "are you and daddy Santa" GASP! I said..don't you believe in Santa? you won't be able to hear the bell ring ....(polar express) LAME!! I know, but I am so not ready to give up this Santa thing...she is my youngest and I hope it is a long time till grandkids!

I'd have a hard time not telling them some form of the truth if they flat-out ask... Sadly. I'd rather reinforce the honesty pillar of character then keep the story alive.

Example... I have a son who sees things in very black and white and now, DH and I feel that keeping the story alive for years with him did sort of backfire on us. He now feels that it is okay to stretch the truth when it suits him and that truly worries me as far as the teenage years that are looming. We are now trying to backpeddle and talk to him about all of it (which is good that we are able to teach him about morals) but how do we explain to him that we basically 'lied' to him for years??? He is 12 and we told him the truth about 2 years ago when we noticed that he really was forming a bad habit of stretching the truth...

I don't think he would have ever come right out and asked either, as he really likes all the gifts (greed!)

I don't like painting a picture of him as a *bad* boy. It has just been an added burden at times and he really has to make an effort to change this instilled bad habit that we feel we were a part of forming in him and he admitted to us that a lot of it had to do with the stories about the Easter Bunny, Santa, etc.

Yes, it's hard.

My oldest is 13 and never believed in Santa. The youngest is 5 and believed up until last year. As far as the baby goes, she won't be taught that Santa brings the gifts. I will say that neither of the older two have ever told anyone that Santa wasn't real. They know that he isn't, but are told that some kids DO believe.

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Amy
Mom to Lauren, Eryn, Naysa
and announcing......
Gavin Michael Chase, 9 lbs 10 ozs
and 21 3/4 inches long on 10/13/09!

I agree with this and I think that is why when my DD came flat out and asked, I just couldn't not tell her the truth. Of course, I'm sure it would have been different if she had been 5 or 6 and asked instead of 9 (almost 10). When I told her, I wasn't just like ok, you're right there is no santa. I tried to still make it fun for her and talk about the how Santa kind of represents the spirit of Christmas and that when you are in on the little secret that you get to be a part of that. So, now she thinks it is fun to "know" something that her sister and brother don't know about yet. We tried to do some secret Santa things last year with just the two of us knowing about them and she thought that was really special. I also made sure to reassure her that Santa still brings gifts even after you do know for sure!

I agree that it's kind of a disappointment when your kids find out for sure, but I think it can still be fun with them knowing. I also have a hard time thinking that kids who are 12 or 13 still believe anyway. My SIL swears that she and her husband told their 14 year old son last year about the whole thing and that he had no idea. I just find that really hard to believe! He was in the 8th grade and had never said anything to them about it, but I still can't hardly believe that he didn't know and just didn't tell them that he knew.

I just know for myself, I found out in kindergarten on Christmas Day - I had a cousin who was 3 years older and had found some of his gifts early and then he ended up getting them from Santa. He then told me that day that there was no Santa. Well, it wasn't until about 3 years later that I actually told my mom and dad that I knew the truth - and then I didn't tell them until Christmas Eve (making sure that I would still get the presents I guess)!

We have 2 that still believe and 1 that don't.
We told dd(now 16) the truth when she was about 11 or 12. We sat down with her and talked about it and she told us that she had thought he wasn't real but wasn't positive. Then we told her about the Easter bunny and the tooth fariy, that totally blew her mind *lol*. We all had to kind of laugh that she didn't believe in a guy with a big red suit but did believe in an egg giving bunny and a little fairy that left her $$ for her teeth.
Ds is 11 this year and, sadly, I think this is his last year believing. We've already decided to have a talk with him after the holidays. That is, if none of the boys at school beat us to it.
DD, 7, still believes and our oldest helps keep it going. She loves to play along. After she found out, she was allowed to stay up with us and wrap presents, put them under the tree and fill stockings. Not hers , of course, but the younger kids.
I'm hoping the youngest will believe alittle longer but you never know.

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Amy mommy to Ash,Zach&Alexis


MyCoupons Is #1 for Holiday Shopping

DS (10) and DD (8) still believe but older one is asking too many questions!

Well my DD is in 7th grade so she is passed that. She hasn't believed since the 4th grade when a friend spilled the beans to her.

My DS is in 2nd grade and he still believes. Which sometimes I wish he didn't it would be so much easier but on the other hand it is cute that he does believe.

My 10 DS and 8 DD still believe. My oldest DS who is 17 stopeed believing about 5 yrs ago. He has never said a word to the younger ones. Smart kid as he realizes he gets more presents that way. He also stays up with me and helps fill the stockings and put out the gifts.

Jen

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Mom to Jake, Zach & Meghan
SJCC STREAKS FOOTBALL!!
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as of right now both of my girls do (age 10 and 6) but as it gets closer to the holiday I dread it happening...

we used to live in Fairbanks, AK (about 10ish miles from North Pole, AK) and so they knew that Santa lived up the highway... one time when my oldest dd was being a little mouthy we came through on our threat to call Santa... called my brother and he played along... oh the look on her face when Santa talked to her! after that all we had to do was ask if she wanted us to call Santa again and she'd straighten right up...

I hope that no child who can read sees this thread that still believes. For me protecting the whole believe/not believe thing is very important so that a parent can deal with it in their own time and in their own way.

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TLJ ~ Women United in Spirit

Sad to say, but my baby (DD10) figured it out last Christmas so no more Santa around here.

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#1 Red Wings....Stanley Cup winners 2008

I don't understand what this thread is about? No Santa Claus? I am 45 and nobody ever told me this. I get presents from Santa every year and I see him everywhere. What the #$%@ are you guys talking about?

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

My son is 8 and still believes! It's getting harder though since I know kids his age don't believe and will ruin it for him. Last year I had to tell him that sometimes santa borrows my wrapping paper when he runs out

Same here! What's going on??? I'm getting scared.

My oldest (DS 11) says he does, but I don't believe him, lol. I think he just keeps it going cuz of his younger siblings and getting the gifts of course, lol. I do believe my youngest two believe, but they are 7 and 3......I really do love Santa and hope we can keep him around for years!

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email is moserlara@yahoo.com

I never taught my kids that santa was real, I told them that some kids do believe he is real so not to spill the beans, but I always told them then that he was for fun, we always had santas around! and now for my reasoning why I would not tell them that santa was real, when I was a child and found out that there was not a real santa, I was not upset that he was not real but I was devastated to learn that my parents had lied to me, as far as I knew they had never done that before, call me a weird kid ut I had some real trust issues with them after that, so i vowed that i wa not going to lie to my children and I haven,t
!

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The same thing happened to my son when he was in kindergarten. Other kids were saying that Santa didnt exist. He asked me if I was Santa and I asked him. Do I look like Santa? Of course I had to tell him the mall Santa's were fake. Too much for Santa to do before Christmas that he couldnt just sit at the mall.... I told him if he didn't believe in Santa, then no, Santa wouldn't come. Our town is really neat though. All of our EMT and firemen and even the mayor dress as Santa and elves and visit the Sunday evening before Christmas. Parents bring a gift and a small note (do better at math, great job playing basketball, ect). About 2 weeks beforehand - And Santa and his elves just "drop by" and give the gift you buy and talk for about 5 min. This is all volunteer and it is wonderful. I encourage every small city or town to try something like this. This wonderful program restored my child's belief and thats the best feeling ever. Plus its free except for the gift. They even gave my dog a dog treat!!