At what point do you tell your kids that Santa Claus isn't real?Mike and I have been debating the issue of talking to Nicklas about the true story of Santa Claus. He's in second grade and still believes in the tale and we're starting to get uncomfortable with continuing the appearance and tradition. We both think he's old enough to know the truth and we'd rather be the ones to tell him instead of him finding out from someone else.
He's at an age where he's asking for big ticket items and things we aren't necessarily going to buy him. This year, he asked Santa Claus for a Nintendo DS. We've talked to him about asking for other things so Santa Claus has options and although he's added a few things to his list, it's the DS he really wants and its what he thinks he's going to get. But he's not.
I think he's going to be disappointed when it's time to open presents which will break my heart. I guess it's just another sign that he's growing up.
He's at an age where he's asking for big ticket items and things we aren't necessarily going to buy him. This year, he asked Santa Claus for a Nintendo DS. We've talked to him about asking for other things so Santa Claus has options and although he's added a few things to his list, it's the DS he really wants and its what he thinks he's going to get. But he's not.
I think he's going to be disappointed when it's time to open presents which will break my heart. I guess it's just another sign that he's growing up.
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1 comment:
Some time lurker, first time commenter.
I think it depends on the individual child, and having more than one makes it complicated (they tend to talk, you know?). My daughter is an only. When she was young, she had an enormous sense of illusion and imagination. When she was in kindergarten she got teased because she still believed there were fairies in our backyard and that her imaginary brothers and sisters were real. I made the choice when she was almost 7 to tell her that Santa Claus wasn't real. I was afraid if I didn't tell her that it would be much more devastating later, and potentially embarrassing (what if she was the only 5th grader who insisted Santa was real?)
But my neighbor, who had several kids, the oldest of which was very pragmatic, said she wanted her kids to hold onto to this last bit of childhood as long as they could. For her it was a matter of time before it was over, so she wanted to savor the moment.
I don't regret telling my daughter when I did. And by the way, she didn't believe me and argued with me for another two years about it. So there was never the moment of disappointment that many kids experience.
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