santa question-a little sad

[palavra]

I'm a little sad this evening. My 8 year old second grader asked me today if we are really Santa. I answered her honestly becasue she is already eight. I think she had already figured it out, and the question was just for confirmation. She has been fine with it, but I have been sad all afternoon. She is our only child and I feel like a little of her childhood is gone now. Is that weird? Did ayone else feel a little sad when your child no longer believed in Santa?

 

[RangerPooh]

I'm not looking forward to the day when my DDs come home form school with this question. My 5 yo dropped the bomb yesterday that tinkerbelle is just a person in a costume and that she no longer believes in her That was hard to take as Tink has been her buddy since she was an infant.

 

[cglaura]

I milked a few more years out by telling DD that because so many children are born every year, Santa couldn't possibly do it all, so parents take over when they are 5 (this is when she questioned it because of something her cousin said).

It was sad when she really did un-believe, but a good thing came out of it too, I was like wonder woman mom of the year.

"So wait...you bought...and...and..???" I am a single frugal mom. Christmas was when she got wanted, sort of expensive stuff, not just needed stuff.

But I also got a harumph from her because she gave all her binkies to Santa one year so he could give them to needy children

 

[kidzmom3]

Of course its normal to feel sad. These milestones remind us that our babies are growing. While we usually feel happy that we are helping them to find out who it is they are meant to be. it doesn't mean we don't miss the innocent dependent days, when magic was real and Mom was the center of the universe.

 

[xanphylus]

I kinda had that talk with DD9 the other day. She believes, but she doesn't believe. I told her that I still believe int he spirit of Santa and that she should too. Santa was a real person and she knows that- she also knows we give present to keep that giving spirit going and that we should not tell other kids the "truth" since she had fun believing, so why shouldn't they get all that fun too? She also knows all the various religious reasons for giving, but she likes the Santa reasons better at this age!

 

[Polyluvr]

I have 3 kids~ 18,9,5. I have never admitted santa wasn't real~ to any of them.
Boys 9,5 have never asked me.

DD did ask when she was 8;and I changed the subject for a few years.

I think it was a couple of years ago and she brought it up around her brothers~ they weren't paying attention Thank God!

and I just told here if she wanted to not believe in Santa then there wouldn't be any presents Christmas am for her~we open family presents on Christmas eve and Santa comes Christmas morning~ after that little talk she never brought it up again~ and Santa still comes for her

 

[Handbag Lady]

I have 3 kids~ 18,9,5. I have never admitted santa wasn't real~ to any of them.
Boys 9,5 have never asked me.

DD did ask when she was 8;and I changed the subject for a few years.

I think it was a couple of years ago and she brought it up around her brothers~ they weren't paying attention Thank God!

and I just told here if she wanted to not believe in Santa then there wouldn't be any presents Christmas am for her~we open family presents on Christmas eve and Santa comes Christmas morning~ after that little talk she never brought it up again~ and Santa still comes for her

This is exactly what my mom did and we still get presents from Santa.

 

[bumbershoot]

...a good thing came out of it too, I was like wonder woman mom of the year.

"So wait...you bought...and...and..???" I am a single frugal mom. Christmas was when she got wanted, sort of expensive stuff, not just needed stuff.

That's awesome that she recognized that after you told her. Yay her! My mom never did Santa with us, and we felt that she was a superhero every birthday and xmas, b/c she too was a single and broke (had to be frugal, no choice) parent, and we knew it had to be hard, and we were amazed every single year at what she could do.

So I love that your DD really got that.

 

[Mickeyistheman]

I remember when I asked my mother and I was about 9 or 10, it was right after my brother was born. I remember getting in trouble one Christmas morning because I was so happy that I got something...that I didn't think "Santa" could find but I knew so I got in trouble but my brother never realized it until later haha.

I still believe in Santa...

 

[akcire]

When I was 5 years old Santa and my mother used the same wrapping paper, and I figured it out. I then proceeded to tell my entire class (yes, I know). My mother both mad and embarrassed, advised "if you don't believe, you don't receive".

That is pretty much the motto I live by as an adult......I still get Santa gifts, an Easter Bunny basket, and a leprechaun gift on St. Patrick's day. Oh and I have learned to no longer question if Santa and Mom use the same wrap, or a recycled gift bag from 10 years ago. I have often wondered when Santa, the Bunny, & the Leprechaun plan to retire; but I am still happy to have them visit.

 

[dzorn]

We have a saying around here "If you don't believe you don't receive you don't receive."

Denise in MI

 

[Carlyzmom]

I'm a little sad this evening. My 8 year old second grader asked me today if we are really Santa. I answered her honestly becasue she is already eight. I think she had already figured it out, and the question was just for confirmation. She has been fine with it, but I have been sad all afternoon. She is our only child and I feel like a little of her childhood is gone now. Is that weird? Did ayone else feel a little sad when your child no longer believed in Santa?

I agree! My DD almost 10 just asked me the same thing. I knew she had it figured it out, so I told her the truth. She was OK about it, but it made me sad. Funny thing is she already knew about the tooth fairy and Easter bunny - but Santa, she wanted to hang on to. It's hard for them to grow up!

 

[tink_lover]

We also abide by the "If you believe, you receive" rule. There is a lot of magic in the Holidays if you just take the time to explore it.

 

[clh2]

When DD was little -her and I always picked out toys for tots. The toys we picked out generally were something that she was "into" at that time in her life.

The night she brought up the "is Santa real" I tossed each question back to her with "what do you think". I was firmly convinced she knew the truth when she brought up "so THAT is why we get toys for tots presents every year."

We continued continued getting Toys for Tots presents for several years. (We do not currently do this - we contribute otherwise at church instead - through a couple of different projects happening in the community.)

I wasn't sad at all about her finding out. She wasn't sad about figuring out Santa doesn't exist. If she ever had to color a picture of Santa - she would always ask me what color my eyes were.because she wanted it to be realistic.

Now there are two rules - If you don't believe, you don't receive. And...Santa needs to get to work early - so DD needs to be in her room by a reasonable hour at night. (Santa needs his beauty sleep)

 

[hereyago]

Did ayone else feel a little sad when your child no longer believed in Santa?

Every year there is a similar post, so I am going to say what I say every year: when DD now 12 asked me a few years ago, I told her the truth. I did tell her about the real St. Nicolas.

In all reality, she was more upset about Scooby Doo not being real then anything else and she knew the characters in the parks weren't real at a young age.

I didnt feel sad or a bit of her youth was gone. Be proud that your kid -even though you think she knew all ready -was mature enough to ask for confirmation.


I have never told my DD if you don't believe, you don't receive. That is wrong on so many levels. By 3rd grade I knew, because my DF was trying to put together my townhouse, well more like wrestling with it. but i did let them know for a couple years that I 'believed".

 

[WDSearcher]

I'm 40... ish years old and have no kids. But I still leave milk and cookies out on Christmas Eve. Because you never know ...

 

[lovesmurfs]

I've never admitted it to my kids... (DS16 and DD11).

DS asked me only once about Santa -- he was 7, I think. After swallowing my tongue, I turned it around and asked him, "Well, honey, what do you think?"

His response? "Well, there has to be a Santa, because, you'd never spend all that money on toys for me!"

 

[golfgal]

We have a saying around here "If you don't believe you don't receive you don't receive."

Denise in MI

Same here. Our kids are 18, 15,15 and they still "believe".

Heck, I still believe.

 

[Swank]

Let me get this straight, there is no Santa? but...but... OMG there goes my new Lexus... This really stinks.

 

[Swank]

My son (6 at the time) figured it out because we used Santa wrap from two Christmases prior for non Santa gifts.. what a memory! I don't remember what I ate yesterday let alone what Christmas wrap Santa used two years ago.