How do you tell your child that Santa isn't real?

camberwellgreen
camberwellgreen Posts: 15
edited October 1 in Chit-Chat
My 11-year-old starts secondary school in a couple of weeks; we are at the tail end of the summer holidays here.

About a month ago he mentioned a Playstation game that is due out around Christmas time that he will DEFINITELY want. He said he will ask Santa for it. I bit my lip.

I work at a secondary school and know that talking about Father Christmas will result in mickey-taking as a lot of the children have older siblings and dropped the idea of Santa in Year 5.

Just to compound matters, we went on a family trip to see the 'real' Santa in Finland when he was younger and he still, to this day, believes he was the real thing.

What do I do???
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Replies

  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    What do you mean Santa isn't real? That's crazy talk.
  • starracer23
    starracer23 Posts: 1,011 Member
    WAIT!!! What the heck are you talking about?!?!?!?!

    SANTA ISN'T REAL!?!?!? :sad: :sad: :sad:
  • bjshooter
    bjshooter Posts: 1,174 Member
    What do you mean Santa isn't real? That's crazy talk.

    ^^^^^ That
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
    what??? Santa isn't real? I mean after 31 years my Momma never told me?
  • sister_bear
    sister_bear Posts: 529 Member
    He's 11. He knows.

    I was a public school teacher for a couple years.

    The trip you all had was special. Don't ruin that for him.
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    It took me three Christmases to figure out that even though my daughter said she was going to ask Santa for something, she knew damn well he didn't exist.

    Probably because mom always says, "NO!"

    :laugh:
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
    You're just mean.
  • 13hirteen
    13hirteen Posts: 94 Member
    Okay, no parenting experience at all here, but you could ease into it by telling him that most people don't believe in Santa and work from there.
  • Wileyjoe
    Wileyjoe Posts: 282
    no way.......get outta here
  • camberwellgreen
    camberwellgreen Posts: 15
    Have a made a mistake here???:embarassed:
  • lotty1987
    lotty1987 Posts: 176 Member
    You just have to tell him the truth as kids will take the micky - i am a secondary school teacher - its harsh but needs to be said i would be suprised if he had no idea already to be honest x
  • Shannon023
    Shannon023 Posts: 14,529 Member
    I will never deny the existence of Santa to my daughter. :laugh:

    I'm gonna stay up late and stick presents under the tree until she is in college! :drinker:
  • harley0269
    harley0269 Posts: 384 Member
    my cousins told me when i was little, that the real santa fell off the roof & died. & all the grown ups didnt want the kids to know & be sad, so thats why grown ups are santa. to keep the magic alive.
    i liked that.
  • dgirllamius
    dgirllamius Posts: 171 Member
    My brothers told me when I was 4. I can remember when they said it to me too >>

    TBH, agree with a comment above, he's 11, he already knows.

    If not then be truthful. I don't know, not something I've ever had to do :-/
  • BECav0602
    BECav0602 Posts: 200 Member
    I let my parents think I believed in Santa long after I knew the truth. You got more presents that way. =) I would say he probably knows or at least has a good idea he isn't real and just needs you to confirm it.
  • mpcass
    mpcass Posts: 86
    Don't do anything!!! Once the magic of Christmas is gone the holiday just won't be the same. Let him believe as long as he can, the world is jaded enough without taking that away.
  • CatMauro
    CatMauro Posts: 225 Member
    He's 11. He knows.

    I'm now 31, I've know that santa wasn't real for over 20 years now and my sisters and I still ask for stuff from "Santa" and insist on stockings being hung and filled. Don't worry about it.
  • V44V
    V44V Posts: 366 Member
    Tell him the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy got drunk one night, stole a car and killed Santa in a hit and run. They got caught, put in Jail, so they'll be no chocolate or money under the pillow this year either...
  • JennsLosing
    JennsLosing Posts: 1,026
    i STILL ask my mom and dad if "santa can bring me this, this year" and im 29. lol...i figured it out that he wasnt real when i was like 9...chances are your kid knows too but just says it like that = )
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    You don't need to tell him. He has either figured it out or he will soon.

    My daughter used to leave a Ham Sandwich and a double bourbon on the rocks out on Christmas Eve for Santa. She's 17 and she still does.
  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
    He's 11. He knows.

    ^ THIS.
    He already knows Santa isn't real. Seriously, he's playing you or going along with it because he probably thinks you still want him to believe it.
  • LoseItJourney
    LoseItJourney Posts: 122 Member
    He knows.
    as soon as one kid at school knows everyone knows.
    Just leave it along until he feels like saying something.
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
    We didn't get everything we asked Santa for. We gave our parents a list, they passed it a long to Santa and edited it as they saw fit. You don't get everything you ask for, no matter who it is you ask. Let the thought go on, it doesn't hurt.

    And, as others said, he probably knows...
  • kirstiey
    kirstiey Posts: 243
    God that is the cutest thing ever! But you are absolutely right, he will be bullied for life if he ever mentions that at secondary school!

    Maybe you could say you wanted to have a chat as he is now old enough to know the truth, tell him about the story of how Santa came to be (Fable not the Coke version) and how it is a way of making Christmas extra special for small kids, but when they get to a certain age the truth is always revealed and now he is that age. Might make him feel more grown up and that everyone his age has the secret revealed.

    He might also be winding you up of course!
  • JennsLosing
    JennsLosing Posts: 1,026
    i STILL ask my mom and dad if "santa can bring me this, this year" and im 29. lol...i figured it out that he wasnt real when i was like 9...chances are your kid knows too but just says it like that = )
    and one year my older cousins told me santa wasnt real and i snitched them out to my grandma and they didnt get their santa xmas presents lol...i was like 6 or so and they were 12.
  • Shannon023
    Shannon023 Posts: 14,529 Member
    Don't do anything!!! Once the magic of Christmas is gone the holiday just won't be the same. Let him believe as long as he can, the world is jaded enough without taking that away.

    ^^ This!
  • CoachMaritova
    CoachMaritova Posts: 409 Member
    Tell him the story of the REAL St. Nicholas and why we celebrate... make it fun.

    btw, of course he's real!!! I suppose you don't believe in fairies, either?!
  • boomboom011
    boomboom011 Posts: 1,459
    we got busted. it was bad and after we explained to her everything she said "do i even need to ask about the easter bunny?" we just told her that we need to believe in the spirit of christmas and santa is for little kids. The real meaning of Christmas is way cooler. She agreed and we keep it on the DL for little bro who is 5. We have now kicked the easter bunny to the curb. it just bugged me too much. My kids still get to do the egg hunt stuff.

    BTW my daughter is 11 she said she has known for a while and didnt want to hurt our feelings so she just kept on going along with the shennanigans!
  • atd81
    atd81 Posts: 225 Member
    I will never deny the existence of Santa to my daughter. :laugh:

    I'm gonna stay up late and stick presents under the tree until she is in college! :drinker:
    my cousins told me when i was little, that the real santa fell off the roof & died. & all the grown ups didnt want the kids to know & be sad, so thats why grown ups are santa. to keep the magic alive.
    i liked that.

    This ^^ and omg Harley, that's adorable!!!! I'm going to have to remember that one, lol

    Pft, I'm 30 and still believe there is nothing wrong with a little magic in the world, lol.
  • otr12
    otr12 Posts: 632 Member
    He's 11. He knows.

    ^ THIS.
    He already knows Santa isn't real. Seriously, he's playing you or going along with it because he probably thinks you still want him to believe it.

    Yep.
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