Santa and secondary

[Amber]

I find it hard to imagine that the 11 plus would result in a revelation about Father Christmas, but maybe I'm missing something?

You are. Children with the kind of IQ required to get into grammar schools would have questioned the existence of FC shortly after their second birthday, at around the same time they began reading works of literature in the original foreign languages. I think it is actually used as a kind of tie breaker in the schools admissions code.

[scary mum]

I find it hard to imagine that the 11 plus would result in a revelation about Father Christmas, but maybe I'm missing something?

You are. Children with the kind of IQ required to get into grammar schools would have questioned the existence of FC shortly after their second birthday, at around the same time they began reading works of literature in the original foreign languages. I think it is actually used as a kind of tie breaker in the schools admissions code.

[Yamin151]

Having just received his new school iPad, ds1 in year 8 has just added norad Santa tracker. They work it out for themselves, in their own time, but carry on enjoying the fun of pretending to...don't we all?

We have always talked. About F.C. with a 'twinkle' in the eye. As toddlers they didn't notice it and were taken in happily, as they got older it just kind or organically happened that each year they picked up the twinkle more and it was never discussed as a fact or fiction thing. This was the way I was brought up. I never had to be told he didn't exist and never remember 'finding out', and was never disappointed as I got older and we still talked abou him, left pie and sherry out and always got one present from F.C.
So to this day, our boys are in y8 but we haven't discussed it, but we maintain the magic of creating a christmas that includes farther christmas, but don't worry that they have a belief system out of synch with all their friends. It simply isn't an issue

[Meggymou]

My mum told me I should tell our daughter before she gets to secondary and gets teased. My sisters all told their siblings. I didn't tell her and neither did her best friends even though they knew. I quizzed her about Santa last year and she was without a doubt a firm believer. This year (Year 8!) I told her and she said she didn't believe me as I was trying to ruin her childhood! How did I get the huge wendy house in without her knowing ect. How come we can track him on the computer.? We have talked about it since and she knows she will still have a magical christmas. She said she never discussed what presents santa got her at school, only what she got in general for christmas. (She's quiet at school) Even her best friends mum would listen to her talking about Santa in the car to her best friend and thought it was cute. She is an only child and a bit young at times. Asking her how he got around the world...its all magic! She still has a christmas list but knows mummy and daddy are working hard to get her some things and she still has to be a good girl.I know a few children her age who seemed to believe, but the majority don't. Christmas will still be special for her.

[kenyancowgirl]

Christmas will still be special for her.

...And, Christmas will still be special for lots of boys and girls who don't believe in Father Christmas any more - and, conversely, it won't be special for lots of boys and girls who do believe but just come from a family that doesn't care, or can't afford to give them much or anything at all...

Whilst our boys have known for a long time - and every child is different and can cope with knowing at different stages - some need to be told sooner, others work it out, others don't want to let go of the belief till much longer - the most important part of "realising" is probably the connection with the fact that that is why some children do not get presents, regardless of how good they may have been - and has resulted in some weird and wonderful alternatives to Christmas Card sending (in the form of charity donations) and various Christmas Boxes to those more unfortunate.

Whatever and however you celebrate Christmas, enjoy it with those who matter most to you.

[Catseye]

WHAT! There is no such thing as Father Christmas next you will be telling me there are no fairies at the bottom of my garden.

Please keep your heretical thoughts to yourself.

No FC.......... indeed, whatever next?

[ToadMum]

Okay, slightly slow thought processes here. But having once pretended to be a four year old reception child collecting her present from Santa (actually present from the PTA, through the medium of whichever teacher's OH hadn't managed to be otherwise occupied in time on the day, I suspect ) because she was too frightened of him to go and get it herself, I wonder whether some of those who are frightened of 'real' Santas may be scared because they are coming face to face with someone who apparently gets into their house in the middle of the night when everyone is sleeping?

And no, it wasn't our own DD I was impersonating, but a little girl in DS2's class. 'Father Christmas' must have visited on a Monday that year, as that was my 'classroom helper' afternoon. Ours - along with her little brother - once had to write a letter of apology at school for 'outing' that year's Santa as one of the male teachers, thus (according to one of the TAs) causing untold alarm and distress to a nearby group of younger pupils . All they could say was, if you don't want children to work out who it is under the red outfit, don't choose the chap with the broad Irish accent and one leg in a plaster cast...

[Proud_Dad]

Children know about poverty in the world so how can we expect them to believe that a fat man will break into their house to give them things they don't need while other children (every bit as "nice" or "naughty") starve?

Santa works in mysterious ways. Surely that is sufficient explanation?

[Catseye]

Now P_D you must stop trying to confuse people by your clever little one liners!
Everyone knows it is a mystery of faith and if you continue to persist in this line of thinking who knows where it will end!

[Proud_Dad]

Now P_D you must stop trying to confuse people by your clever little one liners!
Everyone knows it is a mystery of faith and if you continue to persist in this line of thinking who knows where it will end!

Eminent scholars and Santalogians have spent hundreds of years devising clever arguments as to why a caring Santa would bring lots of presents to some children and nothing to others.

I'll not have their life's work brought into question by the simplistic logic of some pesky 10 year old who dares to suggest that Santa might not actually exist!