Why do parents do this

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Why would you tell your 4and6 year old that it is a waste to see the characters, that they are just people dressed up and not to bother. Story I witnessed a parent do this a few years ago and gave not gotten over it.

 

[KY*Figment]

My opinion why would make the moderators hair stand on end so I will refrain myself!

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

My opinion why would make the moderators hair stand on end so I will refrain myself!

What

 

[princesspwrhr]

At 4 & 6 my kids had all figured this out already. So from that point standing in line for a character was their decision. They're now 15, 9, 8 and on our recent trips there were characters they wanted to stand in line for, and there were others they passed on.

I have made sure that my girls don't say anything about people in costumes in public. They know that the magic is in believing (and they currently believe that it's magical people will create the magic for others and THAT's what they love). I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that what is bothering you is equal parts ruining the magic for their own kids (if the kids had not already figured it out) and saying something so callous in the earshot of others who may still believe.

 

[MrsDe2008]

At 4 & 6 my kids had all figured this out already. So from that point standing in line for a character was their decision. They're now 15, 9, 8 and on our recent trips there were characters they wanted to stand in line for, and there were others they passed on.

I have made sure that my girls don't say anything about people in costumes in public. They know that the magic is in believing (and they currently believe that it's magical people will create the magic for others and THAT's what they love). I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that what is bothering you is equal parts ruining the magic for their own kids (if the kids had not already figured it out) and saying something so callous in the earshot of others who may still believe.

Really? At 4 & 6 years old they knew there were people inside the costumes? Wow...I'm pretty surprised they would know that at such a young age without someone telling them. Then again, this is coming from someone that believed in Santa until I was about 12 years old. :/

 

[bellanotte10]

Really? At 4 & 6 years old they knew there were people inside the costumes? Wow...I'm pretty surprised they would know that at such a young age without someone telling them. Then again, this is coming from someone that believed in Santa until I was about 12 years old. :/

You're not alone. I was convinced they were the real deal characters for along time, and I too believed in Santa that long as well. To each their own I guess.

 

[princesspwrhr]

Really? At 4 & 6 years old they knew there were people inside the costumes? Wow...I'm pretty surprised they would know that at such a young age without someone telling them. Then again, this is coming from someone that believed in Santa until I was about 12 years old. :/

Yes, they figured it out early. I never told them it was the real character, nor did I ever say it wasn't. It was just "let's meet Mickey!"

At 4 my now 15 year old said "mommy, I know that's not the real Mickey Mouse, I saw a person inside when I gave him a hug." My middle daughter (now 9 1/2) knows, but believes more than her sisters. She made a comment when she was 4 also that "some of the characters are just people in costumes. They can't be in all the parks at the same time. My youngest (8 1/2) was close to 4 (they are 11months apart) and was in on this conversation with her sister. She said "they're all people in costumes. The real ones can't come out of the tv and books." My oldest was around 10 then and asked me if we should tell them the characters are real. I said "no. They've figured it out themselves, I won't insult their intelligence and lie to them." We then started talking about the Magic of believing. They know about Santa, tooth fairy etc too- again, they worked it out.

If they had asked "are they real?" We would have had a conversation about "what do you think?" along with the magic of believing. But THEY told me, and they're right. So for me, it was more important to validate their observation, discuss how wonderful it is that people help create fun magical worlds for other people and tell then that other kids have to figure it out for themselves.

They still like meeting characters, interacting, taking pictures and occasionally getting an autograph. It is not unheard of for young children to "know." Their experience has not been ruined, and I won't let them ruin anyone else's. The way that the parent the OP behave did have a negative effect on people's experience and that is sad.

 

[mjkacmom]

By 4, all of my kids knew the characters weren't real, but still believed in the tooth fairy, easter bunny (not the mall one) and Santa. If they wanted to get autographs, fine, although I didn't go out of my way to make it happen (huge time suck for me). I imagine mist school age kids have it figured out.

 

[Malibustyle23]

Why would you tell your 4and6 year old that it is a waste to see the characters, that they are just people dressed up and not to bother. Story I witnessed a parent do this a few years ago and gave not gotten over it.

/
You have not gotten over it or the kids have not gotten over it?

Every parent does somethings that other parents wouldn't. I am sure I have done many things that others have probably commented on, disagreed about or perhaps even took to a message board and complained about.

Would I of done it? Probably not but hey maybe they know their kids would of rather enjoyed the rides and shows in the long run than the characters. Who knows.

It is hard to judge how to raise a child until you a parent yourself and even harder unless that child is yours.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm right there with princesspwhr.

As someone who grew up without the Santa myth (or flat out lie as it actually is) and being scared of characters (fear is why my mom didn't have santa...because the concept of a strange man breaking into our home was too much for me) later on, I know that it really isn't as traumatic to know that it's people in costumes as some think. It's weird to have your friends believe in such things, though. And it's rotten that they get to talk about their beliefs while you don't to talk about the truth.

And it was weird that my stepmom got so into sant that she required belief from her kids or they got nothing, and that went way into adulthood for my sibs. She might still require it I'm not sure. It mystifies her that my son loves characters, even though he worked out the truth at 3 or 4 (and we did the "what do you think?" thing too). Apparently she believes that there's no point to meeting them without belief. My son and husband disagree!

 

[SEA333]

Hmmm. I goess it's not a big deal for us. My oldest was too analytical to beleive in Santa and characters/etc past the age of about 5? 6? or so, but he's been a 30 year old since he was born LOL

My DD hates characters - they've always scared her, so when we were in Chucky Cheese and those kinds of places, we would always tell her that it wasn't a real 6-foot creepy mouse, it was just a person dressed up. then my teenagesister (at the time) started working at Chuck E Cheese and actually WAS the mouse, LOL, so DD was totally fine.

Because of my sister, DS2 always knew that that kind of stuff was just people dressed up. No worries there!

My kids have never asked to stand in a line for characters, so we never have. If they did, depending on the line, I might say something along the lines if "Are you sure you really *want* to? It's an awfully long line to wait in." The "it's just a person in a costume" part would probably be left unsaid, but really more because it wouldn't be necessary *to* say it....my kids already get the point.

Then again, I don't think that my typically Type A kids are always a whole lot of fun all the time, so maybe having a kid who WANTS to believe in fairy tales would be really fun!

 

[keltiesmom]

My 5yo dd knew when we went to DL this year, she's wise beyond her years and asked. I didn't lie to her about it and it didn't bother her knowing. She knows not to ruin it for her brother and sister, and was still excited to meet the characters.

 

[Timandalicia]

Why would you tell your 4and6 year old that it is a waste to see the characters, that they are just people dressed up and not to bother. Story I witnessed a parent do this a few years ago and gave not gotten over it.

I think the biggest problem is that they look at the line and see the length vs the time. They think the line will take as long as the wait for Peter Pan. The same line length is about 10th of the wait time. If it were an hour wait for Daisy, I might feel the same way.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

So at what age do they figure it out

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

So at what age do they figure it out

It varies. There is no specific age when a child figures out that characters aren't real or Santa doesn't exist.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

It varies. There is no specific age when a child figures out that characters aren't real or Santa doesn't exist.

Thanks

 

[4kids4karen]

Because every family is different. There is no right or wrong in this scenario. I am surprised YOU haven't gotten over this. Many families also do not ever introduce Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy to their kids because they do not believe it is right for their family. I mean this in the nicest way possible, you should not criticize other parenting style and just focus on your own. One of my friends growing up did not celebrate Christmas. Instead, every year during winter vacation they went to Disney. LoL.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Because every family is different. There is no right or wrong in this scenario. I am surprised YOU haven't gotten over this. Many families also do not ever introduce Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy to their kids because they do not believe it is right for their family. I mean this in the nicest way possible, you should not criticize other parenting style and just focus on your own. One of my friends growing up did not celebrate Christmas. Instead, every year during winter vacation they went to Disney. LoL.

My first post came off string just surprised that parents are telling there kids so young these days, so it is not that I am not over it just surprised, think about it if you tell your kids at2 that is only 48 months of them believing. Sorry if u come of judgmental that is the last thing I want to be but I am just trying to understand where the parents are coming from

 

[MinnieDaisy]

We took our (then) 3 1/2 year old to Disney last May. As we made out envelopes decorated with Disney character stickers for Mousekeeping, he told me that he knew the characters at WDW weren't real, they were just costumes. I was kinda bummed, but he still likes to go to characters meals and pose with Mickey, et al, and, at 5, is super excited to be going for Christmas to have dinner at CRT (he loves the princesses, real or no). Every kid is different. He still believes in Santa, but he knew from the get-go that the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy were a bunch of bunk, LOL.

 

[sk!mom]

Really? At 4 & 6 years old they knew there were people inside the costumes? Wow...I'm pretty surprised they would know that at such a young age without someone telling them. Then again, this is coming from someone that believed in Santa until I was about 12 years old. :/

Really, You find it unusual that a 6 year old wouldn't know that they were looking at costumes rather than actual mice, dogs, or whatever?

A 4 year old, maybe but by 6 I'd be worried about my child's development if they didn't recognize costumes. No need to point it out to anyone in the parks but I would expect that they had developed an understanding.