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At what age do kids generally stop believing in Santa?

posted 17 years ago by DragStrip
49 replies | jump to latest

I ask this only because my cousins (from Belgium) are coming to stay over the New Year period, and my Uncle and Auntie want us to act as if the youngest (who is 9) still believes in Santa. This seems remarkable to me because I distinctly remember when I was 9 my then best friend said he believed in Santa, and I didn't believe him because the concept that anyone our age still believed was ridiculous. At the same time I know some aspects of maturing are encouraged earlier in the UK than most other places. But the thing is I don't think I even had to be told that he didn't exist when I was a kid, I just reached that conclusion when I was 7 or 8, and frankly, it wasn't traumatic at all. My older cousin (11) certainly hasn't believed in it for a long time, even though I don't think he's ever discussed it. I suspect my relatives just can't be bothered to talk to them about it.

"Who disturbs my Plasma Bath!!!?"

[–] wkedklwnz 15 years ago

My son is 9, and has suspected for about 6 months to a year that Santa is not real. I won't come out and say Santa is not real, I want him to stay "young" for as long as possible. However, I do tell him that Santa is real as long as you believe. I believe like another poster stated that Santa was real and will always be apart of Christmas in my heart. Until I had a child, I never really cared for Santa or Christmas for that matter, but when he came along, my perspective completely changed. I love the holiday now, and look forward to it every year. I love seeing the look on his face when he opens that 1 gift he was hoping against hope he would get. To me that is the spirit, feeling, and presence of Santa.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] TheMagiciansWorkshop 14 years ago

My first born son stopped believing when he was 8 years old, and that was down to the schoolyard gossip. Our 7 year old daughter, and 5 year old son still believe.

[–] Computer-Guy 14 years ago

I don't lie to my children. They get just as many gift for Christmas, they just come from Dad & Mom.

[–] dubbzny 14 years ago

Yeah, I'm 100% with you. I have a 1 year old daughter, and I plan on telling her Santa isn't real. I don't have any memory of believing in Santa, and I have great memories of Christmas. I also don't like the idea of lying to my children. Plus, I feel like it almost cheapens the idea of Christmas. Instead of it being all these regular people spending their hard earned money on gifts to make others happy, it's some magical man who gives everyone their presents? What's so special about that?

[–] Suzume-san 14 years ago

Children know all about play and 'let's pretend'. I agree, you shouldn't lie to children, but make a game of it; and it's lovely for older brothers or sisters to conspire with parents to make it all seem real for younger ones. Father Christmas, the Easter Bunny (who apparently lays eggs), the Tooth Fairy - no child older than about four will really believe in all of this, but everyone enjoys the fantasy.

Father Christmas will be filling stockings for all of us this Christmas - L aged 21, K who's 29, W 39, myself 62, J 81 (he hasn't had a stocking for quite a while!). The amount of whispering and creeping about in the dark that goes on in our house on Christmas Eve, it's ridiculous.

Have a good one, everybody.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] wristwatchraver-1 13 years ago

I don't know if there is a specific age to stop believing. I just grew out of the belief. I'm 27 now but really stopped beleiving when I was 10. In my formative years it was just nice to have a human symbol to attach to Christmas. I don't know if I ever really belived in him but it was just a nice feeling to have that association. When I grew up I just stopped like that. There was no big family discussion about what me and my sister had beleived for years. I just decided for myself and that was one of the beleifs I dispelled. I don't think there is a special age when you tell children he is just an idea, either you tell them as soon as the reach double figures or you allow them to grow out of it.

[–] brightfamouscucumber 13 years ago

My own personal experience: I learned when I was either three or four and as usual I couldn't sleep because of a very cruel older brother in the bunk below mine.

So, as usual, as soon as he appeared to be asleep, I had to sneak out of bed and hide somewhere else in the house if I were ever to get any sleep.

One night that wasn't yet Christmas Eve, from my hiding place, I watched my parents putting gift-wrapped boxes under the tree, some of which I later learned were supposedly labeled "From: Santa". So that was the last time I ever entertained any notion of Santa Claus and chimneys and north pole or any of that.

Fearing parental punishment for having been out of bed after bedtime without permission, however, I did a lot to keep that secret to myself. In Kindergarten, I learned that I was not the only non-believer, but I never actually shared my non belief with anybody until after I was out of high school. Vocally, I always only took the stance that nobody should be told to stop believing or to start or resume believing, so that nobody would know where I actually stood on the issue.

As soon as I started learning how to write "From: Mom & Dad", however, that older brother stopped receiving any gifts "From: Santa" that didn't consist entirely of coal, if I could get any, or rocks, if I could not.

Everything that I ever found labelled to him "From: Santa", wound up on Christmas Morning with labels saying "From: Mom & Dad".

He didn't learn that some of his "From: Mom & Dad" gifts didn't have the same handwriting on their tags until he was in high school. Until then, he was the biggest believer in Santa Clause that I ever knew.

If you want kids to keep believing in Santa, you gotta remember to make sure that any time they're bad enough, they get either rocks or coal.