Father Christmas. At what age "should" kids stop believing in him?

[Dave7]

I don't recall ever believing he was real.
A woman I know was telling me her 10 year old still believes in him and she has a friend who's 14 year old daughter still believes he is real.
Each to his own etc, it just seems odd to me.
NB both kids mentioned are your average type ie no learning problems etc.

 

[biggs682]

I still believe Santa comes once a year

 

[Drago]

I still believe Santa comes once a year

That's because Mrs Claus isn't interested in thst sort of thing ny more.

 

[stephec]

I stopped probably around eight years old.

I remember taking the pee out of someone in my class near the end of junior school about it so I wouldn't like to be that fourteen year old who still believes.

 

[Brandane]

You mean he isn't REAL?????????
Well thanks a bunch OP; that's MY Christmas ruined!
From Brandane, age 62 and a half...

 

[Dave7]

You mean he isn't REAL?????????
Well thanks a bunch OP; that's MY Christmas ruined!
From Brandane, age 62 and a half...

TBF I don't think I said he isn't real. I just said I have never believed in him.
My advice to you, hang your stocking up, leave mince pie out and I am sure you will have a visit.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

When I was at Primary School (OK OK we called it Prep) Richard Dutton told everyone that Father Christmas was not real and it was really your Mum and Dad

I think in was in about 4th or 5th year

I was rather sceptical - but then I was cynical even at that age
but the concept did sort of make sense

so - naturally - I asked my Mum and Dad

I think they said something along the lines of
Well - if you say you believe then the presents keep coming - whether they come from Father Christmas or Mum and Dad
but if you start saying you do not believe and he is not real then if he is real then the presents might stop - now maybe Mum and Dad would make up the difference but is it worth the risk???

So - lets see what you think closer to Christmas??



It was never mentioned again and I still got a sack from Santa when I was in my 30s - although the quantity had dropped of dramatically since I was a kid!!!


(p.s.when I was much older my Dad said that if he was real then he wanted a serious word with him about the Baffle Ball he got me one year as it kept him awake half the bloomin' night after I found it!!!!)

 

[sevenfourate]

Cheesus. I’m 53. You could have had spoiler alert in the title ! Talk about spoiling a man’s dream…..

 

[AndyRM]

My little one is 8 and I think she's past believing. Never had a proper conversation with her about it but she's not daft.

 

[Drago]

Cheesus. I’m 53.

 

[MontyVeda]

being the youngest of three, I'll have been about 4 when my older siblings found all the gifts stashed in M&D's wardrobe several weeks before Xmas... I kind of worked it out from that. Plus our 1972 new build home didn't have a chimney, so he wouldn't have been able to get in anyway.

 

[stephec]

being the youngest of three, I'll have been about 4 when my older siblings found all the gifts stashed in M&D's wardrobe several weeks before Xmas... I kind of worked it out from that. Plus our 1972 new build home didn't have a chimney, so he wouldn't have been able to get in anyway.

We had a gas fire so he couldn't use our chimney, but he has a magic key.

 

[stephec]

You mean he isn't REAL?????????
Well thanks a bunch OP; that's MY Christmas ruined!
From Brandane, age 62 and a half...

Have you ever heard of the tooth fairy?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Have you ever heard of the tooth fairy?

That was where the disbelief started with my daughter

I pulled the same trick on here that I remembered from my Mum and Dad - seemed to work!!!
- in retrospect it would have been cheaper to say the tooth Fairy was not real?????? - would that have been evil??

 

[stephec]

That was where the disbelief started with my daughter

I pulled the same trick on here that I remembered from my Mum and Dad - seemed to work!!!
- in retrospect it would have been cheaper to say the tooth Fairy was not real?????? - would that have been evil??

It's when they don't take the tooth but still leave the money, because you've deliberately tucked it as far out of sight as possible, that you know the game's up.