5 year old and character belief

[arizonacolbys]

We don't have any children yet, but I know we will try to encourage their beleiving in these things as long as they can. Kids have to grow up too fast anyways - what is it hurting for them to enjoy seeing Mickey Mouse at Disney World? I don't remember ever actually asking about the characters being real - I think at some point I just realized it, but it still never took away from the fun I had meeting them. Disney is all about Magic & believing in it all is half the fun. JMHO.

 

[extreme8]

My kids have been going to Disney World since they were <1 (DD) and 4 (DS), and neither one of them have ever really believed that the characters were anything other than people in costume.
It was nothing I ever said or did, they just never bought into it.

It doesn't change the way the interact with the characters, they still call them by name, and they're so excited about getting autographs and pictures.

I'm afraid this is the year that my DS (9) is going to corner me and we're going to have the Santa Claus discussion
I just barely dodged that bullet last year.

 

[hipporina]

This is one area where I have no problems "stretching the truth" to my children. It is so much more fun for them to believe, so why not help them. My oldest ds it getting to the age that I'm pretty sure he knows on some level, but he still wants to believe. I remember crying when my parents confirmed the truth about Santa even though I really knew. It doesn't hurt them to think its all real, so I encourage it.

 

[pjlla]

Okay... here is where I get the award for WORST MOTHER EVER!.....................

We (my kids and I, ages about 5 and 7 at the time), saw SpongeBob at the local McDonalds. The costume was sort of lame and when we were in the car on the way home my DS (5) asked me...."That wasn't the real SB, was it??" Trying to be the fair and honest parent I said "No.... it was a man in a costume, just like when we see Mickey Mouse." To which my son replied in a very tearful, choked up voice "WHAT?? YOU MEAN MICKEY ISN'T REAL???" followed by stunned silence.

I realized at that moment what I had done. I guess I had figured that by 5 my child had realized that these characters weren't real.... but I was WRONG!! Well.... I quickly recovered (I think) by telling him that the Mickey we saw in Massachusetts at a Lions Club fundraiser wasn't real (but my kids knew that, as we had just returned from WDW at that time and they KNEW that the Mickey we were seeing in MA was FAKE as can be!). "But of course honey, the Mickey at WDW is REALLY Mickey!!"

(Sorry for those of you who don't think I should have lied to my child, but I did what I felt was right at that time. No Flames PLEASE!)

I think all was well after that. This happened a few years ago and we have been to WDW since then and he had total love and enthusiasm for all of the characters, so I think all is well.......P

 

[clutter]

First my dd decided that the costumed characters were really people in costumes, but that the face characters were real. Now... I'm not sure. But, two years after the realization, her best moment of our last trip was when Dale grabbed her hand to dance in a parade around the shop in toontown. You know, you can KNOW the characters are not real, but that doesn't mean you have to BELIEVE it.

 

[my3girlstoo]

My 9 yr. old asked 2 months before our vacation. Talk about bad timing. I'm sure when we go she will be looking the characters over very carefully since she knows the right answer but wasn't quite sure she wanted to admit it. I did the what do you think and because she hesitanted I told her to wait and see but that I like believing that their real and PLEASE don't say anything to her two little sisters!

 

[CarnotaurDad]

We have a 4 yo DD who has been to WDW three times (with two more trips planned in the next year)......

For whatever reason, she has NEVER believed that they were really the characters but it hasn't stopped any of the fun she has with them.....

We still wait in line for pictures, talk to them and she has a blast....

I think a lot of it came from Halloween and how everybody dresses up in a costume......"that's not really Elmo, it's just someone in an Elmos costume"......

I must emphasize, though, that it hasn't ruined her fun one bit.....

And, as luck would have it, we never have to have the Santa discussion because she already knows......oh, well........