How old were your children when they found out Father Christmas wasn't real?

When my children queried 'the' existence I simply responded that I wasn't going to risk doubting as it might result in me receiving nothing. Seems to have worked. Long live the magic!

My third son was 11 and very enthusiastic about FC so I had a "talk" with him. It wasn't a very long talk because he told me, "Oh yes, I've known for years, but I thought I might stop getting presents if you thought I didn't believe!"

Glenco a very clever boy.. ha ha

DD2 worked it out at the age of four. This wouldn't have mattered – it didn't spoil things for her – but she went and told her friends!! One or two of their mothers were very cross with me but it was actually nothing to do with me 😬

Our youngest son approaching his fourth birthday, kept on and on with questions and wouldn't be fobbed off. In the end I couldn't lie to him anymore, and admitted it, but banned him from telling his older siblings!

Ours haven't yet worked out FC, we're thinking by the time the eldest is 65 we should explain. They're stubborn women, we've no idea how that happened, FC expectations may always matter more than any explanations.

My children have never believed in Father Christmas partly because the eldest was a very nervous child and would have been terrified of anyone entering the house but mainly because DH WAS Father Christmas at various school Christmas Fayres and for other organisations. When they became of school age we asked them to keep the secret so as not to upset others. They were happy enough to visit Father Christmas in the local stores and receive their present!

I can’t remember about Father Christmas, but I certainly remember that my daughter certainly believed in the tooth fairy, till she was 11 or 12 years old 😂

Our eldest was in his 2nd year of Primary (so about 6 1/2) when some older kids went round the playground telling the young ones that Santa didn't exist and all presents were from parents. They upset a lot of small children, and parents. DS was not too upset by it, he just said he had wondered how Santa got in the house as we didn't have a chimney. I asked him not to tell his younger brothers as it would spoil the fun for them. After that we explained that only their stocking presents were from Santa and the other presents were from us. Our younger boys came to realise the truth when they were about 7 or 8.

I don't think any child should still be believing in Santa when they start secondary school. It leaves them vulnerable to ridicule and bullying, secondary school can be a cruel place.

Quite frankly it would amaze me that children that might see drug dealing outside the school gates every day could still believe in Santa Claus. That might seem rather cynical but it's a reality at many schools.

I clearly remember the moment when doubt crept in. I was 4 and queuing for Santa's Grotto at a toy shop. I shared my impatience with a shop assistant. "Calm doon, hen. He's nae real." was the reply.

My two sons went along with it when they were at primary school. It was easy to stuff a pillowcase with big, cheap, plasticky toys. Things changed after they discovered Nintendos and Santa had to cough up £60 for the latest SuperMario game, the size of two Weetabix.

I think my older child worked it out about age 7 and rather annoyingly told his younger brother before he had worked it out himself (4 years age difference between them) when he said "it's not Father Christmas who leaves the presents in your room it's mum and dad, I've seen them they come creeping in with them when we're asleep"

Glenco

My third son was 11 and very enthusiastic about FC so I had a "talk" with him. It wasn't a very long talk because he told me, "Oh yes, I've known for years, but I thought I might stop getting presents if you thought I didn't believe!"

I suspect this is the case with lots of children!
I wonder if I’m alone in thinking we should just say from day one that it’s a game everyone plays at Christmas? When I say this, I always get accused of ‘taking the magic away’ from children, but I know I never saw any difference in the enthusiasm of ours when they were the older ones in the family keeping up the story for the smaller ones. Could the ‘magic’ be for the parents’ benefit, and the children don’t really care where the gifts come from, they just enjoy the festivities?

I can’t remember what age they were exactly around 7 I think I can’t remember how I knew they knew either but all the pretence fizzled out I think they d known for some time though
I can’t believe any child in this day and age is that naïve at age 11 surely wouldn’t all the other kids be taking the p

The thing that bothers me the most is that some children get a £500 x box from santa and some will get some small stocking fillers.

I'm glad my children have all outgrown this now and often wonder of I made a mistake wanting them to have some magic that might be harmful.

I was treated very differently to by brother growing up and he would always have more presents than me. It was a way to make me feel like I wasn't good enough and now I wonder how children talking amongst themselves feel when one gets less than another from santa

DD kept up the belief until she was about 8 and then allowed DS to keep believing for a couple of years after that. Just little stockings here with things to keep them amused (an orange, a sugar mouse and a book are essentials) while we recovered from wandering about in the middle of the night.

They both still bring their stockings here by mid-November ready to be refilled - now 35 and 33 years old and they bring their partners' stockings too. They do their own children's!

Aveline

Sshhh! Don't tell them. I never did.

That really made me laugh!

Ha, ha!

Mine started questioning it at around 7/8, but my answer to the question was "can you risk it though?" Kept us going for another couple of years!

crazyH

I can’t remember about Father Christmas, but I certainly remember that my daughter certainly believed in the tooth fairy, till she was 11 or 12 years old 😂

Earlier this year old L’il Miss’ first wobbly tooth (she was 5 and a half) had her a bit worried. It got REALLY wobbly but she was a bit scared about the impending loss and ‘would it hurt, will there be blood?’ etc.

Then one day she came in from school and told her mum that ‘it came out at lunch time and I didn’t even know about it and swallowed it by mistake!’.

Cue a worried face ... no tooth fairy?

“aw no sweetheart”said her quick thinking mum, “when the tooth fairy comes tonight when you’re asleep the tooth fairy will wave her magic wand over your tummy and still be able to take it away - she will leave a coin under your pillow, you’ll see.”

Happy child, no longer thinking about a tooth sitting in her stomach and what do do about it!
😁

I think it was around 8 or 9. The difficulty was keeping the myth alive for the younger ones when the older ones knew full well. Luckily they all enjoyed prolonging the magic.

I can't remember exactly but mine were around 6, as were my DGDs. I am amazed that some children still believe at 11.

I got myself into a real mess over this because I’d always said to my daughter ‘ I will never lie to you’. So she would tell her disbelieving friends ‘ my mum wouldn’t lie about this’. But I don’t think of it as a lie because he encompasses the spirit of Christmas which is, to me, very real. I can remember when I was 19 and living in a bedsit in Birmingham hearing what was actually the sound of milk bottles jingling when the milkman came round in the early hours and thinking to myself ‘that’s Santa’.As for my daughter, one day my next door neighbour came round and said in front of my daughter ‘of course, she’s too old to believe in Santa’. We’ve both never forgiven her for it.

When I was teaching, one morning a mum came and asked me if I would keep an eye on her daughter because she had told her (the truth) the night before. The child was quite innocent at age 11 and mum thought she’d better tell her before she went to High school and possibly teased about her beliefs. Luckily, she was fine. 😄

So angry with my ex husbands partner who bluntly told E that FC didnt exist,it wasnt her place to do this she was six,and my daughter had committed suicide due to Domestic violence 3rd of january the year before,and had been in the home when it happened even though she didnt understand.
My then partner and I tried to give her back her childhood that had been destroyed by her biolgical father.
E cannot forgive the pain caused through her thoughtless revelation,she just wanted to believe that magic did sometimes happen

My parents never pretended there was but made it very magical. We never pretended with DS neither did we make a point of saying he doesn't exist as we never said he did. He still adored all the pressies and the lights and the food and above all, seeing his cousins and nana (an only child) and this was the magic I think.

My elder boy came home from school when he was about 5 and said that another boy had said Father Christmas wasn’t real and “had a false beard”. He was a bit upset. I imagine my younger one never believed.

I was a younger child so found out fairly young, but I do remember earlier being terrified at the thought of this stranger coming into my bedroom when I was asleep. It seems I wasn’t alone in this.