Posted: 10/2/2007 9:14:12 AM EDT
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Serious question. When did you find out he wasn't real? I have a fairly mature 10 year old and an 8 year old who acts his age. Is it time for the 10 year old to get the truth? My folks were both holy rolling laying on hands speaking in tongues traveling evangelists (no shit, they really were), so I was told of the no Santa when I was less than 7, maybe at 5 I might have known. I dont feel like it stunted me or my Christmas spirit to know, maybe even broadened my world view somewhat. This year he is asking for shit like Ipods and laptops and freaking cell phones. Yeah, right! Santa would HAVE to be real to get that from me, especially at 10! He will be getting that Mini Stratocaster and amp he asked for though. 
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I never believed he was real. I personally don't believe in telling kids that he exists. It'll just confuse them and make it more difficult for them to grasp reality. I had a big imagination, and I wrote dozens and dozens of silly comic books and played with toys, etc. I didn't need to believe in something that was physically impossible to have an imagination, and knowing the truth helped me learn, since I didn't have something like that tainting my understanding of reality. When we lost teeth, we'd put it under our pillow, but we knew that our mom put money under there, and she knew that we knew. We just did it for fun. As parents, how can you ever be honest with your kids and answer their questions and teach them if you're trying to keep them believing in something that you know doesn't exist? I know I wouldn't be able to lie to my kids like that (if I had 'em). I'm not judging - I don't think it's BAD, I just think it's not the right thing to do. |
| My mother still tells the story (it was 35 years ago, I don't remember) of my first show & tell in kindergarten announcing to the class that I had read in one of my parent's books that Santa wasn't real. Apparently some kids started crying. Sorry if you were in my class. |
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I had always assumed he was fake from as far back as I can remember. Then one day, I think while practicing our church Christmas pagent thing (probably between ages of 4-6), one of the other kids told me with great conviction that he was, in fact, real. I remember wondering if he might have actually existed, and maybe kind of believed it, but I don't remember harboring the belief for very long. Not exactly sure when I abandoned it, though. So, in an optimistic twist of fate, I technically can't remember when I stopped, only when I (sort of) started. |
Somewhere around eight years old. Your post reminds me of this old editorial reply:
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