What age did you?

[Momma-2boys]

My DS is now 7 and some of his friends/classmates tell him Santa/ toothfairy isn't real(he just started loosing he teeth last year). Now this makes me mad cause I feel he should enjoy childhood and believe in all the fun stuff still while he can.I understand not everyone is blessed enough to have a good Christmas and my son knows that too so we count all of our blessings and on his Christmas list to Santa he has to help out one person that he knows. We sat down and I told him its just like the movies we watch as long as you really believe then Santa/toothfairy is real and just to tell the kids we believe in our house then stop talking about it. Now here is my question at what age do you think kids should really learn the truth? I was thinking 10 then we would just continue the part of helping out someone in need.

[Leissaintexas]

All of my kids were way too analytical and logical to truly believe. Each of them decided for themselves around 3 or 4 or so that Santa and the tooth fairy couldn't be real.  We've never done the Easter bunny at all, they'd never heard of that one. I remember one of my kids asking me, "what in the world does a giant rabbit ahve to do with Jesus' resurrection?" LOL. I think he was about 5.  When my dd lost a tooth, she just asked me to just give her the money and not bother with the whole sneaking around her room in the middle of the night.  Its not a big deal. I definately think parents wait way too late to tell kids the truth. 7 is too late.

[LOVES67]

My son still believes and I don't plan to tell him, now

[talkberry]

I don't believing in lying to my children so my 3 kids never believed in any of thaose myths. They know Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and when they get gifts they know who they come from. They know Ressurection Sunday (Easter) is about Jesus and that if the die and hunt for eggs its just a fun activity for the day. They received money when they lost there teeth and had a choice of collecting them in a special container or throwing out. They have had very full fun childhoods without the myths. How do we teach our kids not to lie and perpetuate such great ones that really do not add to their lives. Sorry you are upset someone told your child the truth. My kids some times did so but not purposely because I taught them that it was not their place to out others. Now, if an adult asked them some dumb question like are they ready for Santa or the Easter Bunny they would respectfully say that they do not live those lies. Often the adults would try to convince them otherwise and if there were other kids around that was never a good thing for them because my children stood their ground. My answer is that you should not perpetuate the lies at all and then you do not have to be concerned about when to tell them the truth.

[jthompson1976]

i hate when kids do that to other children. there are so many differnt ppl out there have so many diff belives. i hate to hear that. i have nine year old daugther with asbergers. i honestly belive she still is santa .

[DixieFlower]

My mom never told us and I really can't remeber what age I was when I figured it out. I work as a live in companion for adults that have developmental and intellectual disabilities. The lady I currently assist is 50 yrs old and she believes with all her heart that there is a Santa. One of the best pictures I have of her was one taken on our local "North Pole Express". When we boarded my DH explained to the staff her situation and that if "Santa" had time to talk with her we'd really appreciate it. So Santa came through the train and was taking pictures with the children. When he got to where we were at he sat down next to her and addressed her by her name.  Oh my her face lit up and she was smiling ear to ear. He talked to her for a little while and then continued down the train. 

I've never thought about an age that I'd tell my children. However, should they ever ask me I'm going to follow what the lady at the following blog told her daughter.

http://www.cozi.com/live-simply/truth-about-santa

"Lucy and I have been exchanging notes since the school year started. We’ve talked about all sorts of things—sports, books we’d like to read, adventures we’d like to have, even stories from when I was in third grade. For the most part, though, it’s been light, casual stuff. Until last week.

I NEED TO KNOW, she wrote, using capital letters for emphasis. ARE YOU SANTA? TELL ME THE TRUTH.

What do you do when your kid asks for the truth? You tell it, of course, doing your best to figure out a way that keeps at least some of the magic intact.

Here’s what I wrote:

---

Dear Lucy,

Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: “Are you Santa?”

I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.

This won’t make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.

It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.

With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too.

I love you and I always will.

Mama"