How old is too old to 'still' believe in Santa?

[mathanxiety]

Just wondered, as youngest DD is still a firm believer at age 9 and I haven't the heart to tell her, at least until some time next year. There hasn't even been a whisper about Santa in her class in school, and the older DCs haven't said a word to her. DD3 and most of her class believed up to this age, if not beyond, too. The older DCs came home from school on average at about 7 and demanded the truth.

[ramonaquimby]

I think my 9 year old dd still believes......I'm not planning on telling her. Why would you do that?!?

[chimchar]

my ds is in year 5 and still believes.

actually, i'm not sure he does, but is playing along/hedging his bets!!!

[Hulababy]

My DD is 8 (Y4) and I don;t think she really believes TBH. She has said the odd thing that leads me to suspect she knows the truth, but she is so far happy to play along regardless - probably hedging her bets just in case She asked lots of questions last year about the prafticalities, so think this is the last year of any form of pretence.

[mathanxiety]

Ramonaquimby, good question there -- looking back, I actually didn't take the bull by the horns with the others, they asked as they had heard rumblings in school and rather than have them go back and stoutly defend Santa (and then get teased and upset) I thought it best to tell them and warn them not to ruin it for others.

I think what surprises me is that no whispering has been going on in the class. Yes, maybe they're hedging their bets --

[ramonaquimby]

certainly hedging their bets!

[LadyCad]

DS is 11, yes 11, and I really do think that he still believes.

He's bright and very imaginative (bloody genius dontcha know ) and he must know somewhere inside himself that it can't be true. He just chooses to believe, I think.

[LadyCad]

he can't really though, surely?

[1234ThumbScrew]

I think they go through a phase of knowing it's not true, but not telling you in case you don't give them as many presents. I told my oldest two when they outright asked about 9 ish. Ds is almost 8 and still believes.

[nannynobnobs]

DD1 is nine and I think she still believes. She utterly believes in fairies though, particularly the tooth fairy.

[ItsJustMyOpinion]

Let them believe for as long as they want to

[TabithaTwitchet]

I don't see why you would tell her next year.
I have always acted as though Father Christmas exists - I didn't see the need as a child to broach the subject and I still don't really. If a child wants to play along, no need to ever spoil the magic imo.

[PamelaFlitton]

I think by the time they get to secondary school they will be teased if the other kids find out they still believe in santa.

[DramaInPyjamas]

Agree with letting them believe as long as they want to.
I can't remember when I stopped believing in Santa tbh..

Mind you at 28 I still belive in magic and fairies..etc.. so maybe I'm not the best person to give advice!

[atah]

my DS age 9 rumbled the tooth fairy in the summer, I held my breath and just like me as a child he thought for a minute and shouted "its you isn't it, you are Santa" and 1
Just tonight he asked if he could still have the advent calendar even though there is no Santa, then he said I wish I didn't know there isn't a santa

[thelibster]

You mean... Santa... doesn't.....exist? :(

Seriously, OP I think it's great that your 9-year-old DD still believes. Childhood innocence flies out the window all too quickly these days. Hope the older ones don't accidentally let the truth drop and spoil it for her! My DC's(19,17 & 15) all still they believe. Or maybe they just don'twant to spoil it for me!

[DramaInPyjamas]

I hope my children indulge me and still 'believe' when they are older.

[mathanxiety]

I wondered about indulging me when DD3 (now 12) was still not asking questions as age 9, but it actually hadn't occurred to her at all that a really fat man in a red suit didn't fly around the world in a sleigh in one night and deliver presents to every single child. She asked when she was coming up to 10 as someone had mentioned it in school, and was astonished at the truth. Then after about 15 minutes she came back into the kitchen and said, "Well, what about the Tooth Fairy, does that mean...?" and was again completely flabbergasted. Same for the Easter Bunny. You could almost hear the ticking of the brain. DD3 tends to live in a little world of her own though.

[AnnoyingOrange]

I agree with Pamela - You have to disabuse them before secondary school