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Tink
03-11-2011, 07:43 AM
One of my mindees is 8 years old and his Mum has told him there is no Santa:eek:
I was shocked yesterday when I said we will have to write our Christmas letters and he said I won't bother and was so sad, then I revealed why he didn't want to write one and I didn't know what to say.
He said Christmas is ruined. I spoke to Mum and she said well he is old enough to know now anyway:eek: but is he? maybe it's just me but Christmas is magical and i'm not sure what age is appropriate, but what age do you think is right?

miffy
03-11-2011, 07:47 AM
I don't know if there is any right age, most children find out from other schoolies or older siblings. I can't believe his mum actually told him - poor kid :(

Miffy xx

Pipsqueak
03-11-2011, 07:49 AM
OH i find that heartbreaking - my kids figured it out by year 5 and I made sure I told them by end of year 6 just to confirm.

I would tell him that the magic of Christmas is still there for the taking etc

FussyElmo
03-11-2011, 07:56 AM
My dd told me last year she knew there was no santa and she was year 7 :) Ds is year 6 and no i havent told him probably most of his friends have but no I wouldnt tell an 8 year old :(

WibbleWobble
03-11-2011, 07:58 AM
katie is 19 and STILL believes - a bit- she hedges her bets.

(katie has autism and globel delay which put her at about 10)


she still does a letter to santa and a list....but now she does it all on her i phone!

mandy xxx

kindredspirits
03-11-2011, 08:04 AM
:( couldn't she have waited until after xmas? :(
My DS is 4 and we have never done the santa thing but I would never dream of telling a child that believed something like this unless it was mid-June! lol

Ali56
03-11-2011, 08:22 AM
Aww Bless him :( poor little man. I would never take away the magic, its so lovely. That is very sad. DD is 91/2 and is a borderline believer now. But still loves all the magic and fun of the letters etc. All my kids only ever ask for one thing or a few little things. We'll make sure she knows before secondary school, but until then the magic lives on!

auntym
03-11-2011, 08:23 AM
I tell my kids Santa is real regardless of age lol. my daughters teen friends get told by me even now - if you don't believe you won't get :-P mum very mean to tell him that

Narnia34
03-11-2011, 08:25 AM
That's so sad!

My little lad is 13 and still believes, sort of.

He's also Autistic and I think it's his way of keeping the magic alive. Then again, I'm 40 and somewhere at the back of my mind I still believe! :laughing:

chez
03-11-2011, 08:38 AM
I think deep inside us we all like to believe in a little magic, and chirstmas is no expetion. Its so sad that shes told him. Lets hope she also had the chat of not telling younger children or there maybe some more upset children out htere

The Juggler
03-11-2011, 09:05 AM
ds has just figured it out and he just turned 12. I found out at 8 cos my brother told me :( but we still had santa stockings until we were teenagers:laughing:

so sad that a mum feels she has to tell them - I think I might have told ds this year as he's in high school but not at 8 :panic:

the happy house
03-11-2011, 09:22 AM
My son knew early on... He was about 6 when he said, "It's you really, isn't it mum?". I wasn't going to lie, but managed to 're-frame' what santa is.
So, he now knows that I am his santa, and other children have their own santa. (Although my bf keeps reminding us that santa is actually a fascist as he doesn't visit third world countries - but that's another story!).

amanda1309
03-11-2011, 09:23 AM
My dd is 9 and still believes. I don't know if she really believes or is just worried if she doesn't she won't get anything

Helen Dempster
03-11-2011, 09:29 AM
that made me feel so sad - poor little chap obviously still 'believed' - why would you ruin that? Kids grow up so quickly these days, let them have that magic in their lives - it's only once a year for goodness sake. He'll find out all too soon from school friends anyway, but even then he would probably still not be 100% sure. Now he's heard it from his mum, that must have broken his little heart :(

~Chelle~
03-11-2011, 09:44 AM
My youngest son is 9 and still believes, but does keep asking if he is real as some kids at school say he isn't :rolleyes: My oldest is almost 13 and stopped believing when he left juniors. He still keeps up the pretence, so that he doesn't ruin things for his brother.

It is always up to the child to decide whether they believe or not, think the mum on this occasion has not been very fair at all :(

kellib
03-11-2011, 10:24 AM
My son is 6 and still fully believes, I can't believe any mother would ruin Christmas for their child like that :(

I'm 26 and I still get a stocking so he must be real! :D

Tink
03-11-2011, 11:16 AM
It was awful. Mum also commented saying I'll have a word with him to make sure he doesn't tell any of the others!!! but his little face, I wish she had kept her mouth shut.
I am going to try my best to keep his spirit of Christmas but it's going to be difficult as I don't want him to think his Mum is a liar if you know what I mean!

ozzy10
03-11-2011, 11:17 AM
How awful she told him that.

I've a little sister (not so little now) but there is 10 yearsbetween us and I used to go to santa with her and tell him what i would like right up till I left home at 20! I couldnt spoil it for anyone, my little boy is 20months and I keep pointing santa out and talking about him, taking him on a train his favourite and santa will be on too on christmas eve! Think I'm more excited than him at the minute!

JCrakers
03-11-2011, 11:37 AM
Ds was about 6yrs. I'd ordered some things from Tesco Direct but had nipped out to Sainsburys leaving hubbie with the kids.
I came back and Tesco had been. Hubbie had answered the door and taken the boxes in that were all plain. DS had asked what the boxes were and instead of hubbie telling him ' Oh theyre mums' or some other story he told him that they were christmas presents that Mum had bought because Santa didnt really bring presents...... When I got in I could have ****** killed him :rolleyes:

I was greeted at the door by DS saying , Hi Mum, Dad says santa isnt real...what have you bought?

MEN!!!!!!!!

boxtree7
03-11-2011, 11:43 AM
We don't do santa lists or lots of presents but my daugther when she was in year 6 use to argue with whoever told her there no such thing as santa -Why do parents have to tell theres no santa !!! I wouldn't tell any of my children !! No santa no presents !!! :(

Maza
03-11-2011, 12:07 PM
Why would she do that? Let them believe as long as possible I say. Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth fairy - such magical memories! I really hope nobody ruins it for my daughter before she figures it out for herself - I will not be happy if they do.

caz3007
03-11-2011, 12:45 PM
My son is almost 9 and he still believes. We did have a wobble a couple of years ago when a friend told him, but I managed to bluff my way round it.

I cant imagine a mother telling her child, all the magic of xmas disappears for both the child and the parent when they stop believing

mama2three
03-11-2011, 01:12 PM
When my ds was 5 ish he went to the park with a friend and an older boy told them there was no such thing as God.
I was a little shocked when he told me til he said - ''its ok mummy I knew he was lying. He said theres no such thing as Father Christmas too!''

lolli_pop243
03-11-2011, 01:22 PM
I was told by my brother at the age of 6(he showed me my presents in my mom's wardrobe!!). My son figured it out, but knows that if he doesn't carry on the charade, he will not get anything, so every year he helps make up the plate of biscuits and hot chocolate for father Christmas. My daughter thinks he's real, and I will let her for as long as she wants.

When she starts to ask the question, then I will tell her it's me 'cos Santa has to go to the younger children!!! :idea:

candy cat
03-11-2011, 01:23 PM
I can still remember my brother telling me when i was about 8 and i was devastated! my son is 11 and last year he still believed and he kind of wants to still believe now....he has been told to keep his thoughts to himself if the little ones are around as my my partner and i would be so upset if his sister,who is 3 didn't have the magic of christmas that he has had for the the last 11 years!

Mrs Pootle
03-11-2011, 01:25 PM
That is so sad for your mindee:crying:

My DD age 8 believes, and she also writes to her tooth fairy, and has made her a christmas present. It is magical.:)

lottieslittlelambs
03-11-2011, 02:10 PM
Poor little mite!

When I was about 5 or 6 I stayed awake and peeped out of the covers and saw my nan (living with us at the time) with a santa hat on putting pressies in my room!

I started to ask questions and my parents told me that she was helping santa! I believed them and never questioned it until probably around 11/12.

Parents really should stop trying to make their children grow up too soon! They are only children once!

Hope he is okay hun x

Kiddleywinks
03-11-2011, 06:51 PM
That's really sad :(

My now 14 year old DD was 11 almost 12 - it was thanks to high school I think.
About October/November time, she asked if the tooth fairy was real. I told her that everytime someone said the tooth fairy wasn't real another one died... she looked at me for about 2 minutes and said 'they're not real are they mum?' I said no love, sorry...
within 3 more weeks she also discovered where babies really came from and about the big man himself

Talk about totally bursting her childhood bubble lol

As for my little man, currently 11, well, I think he's still hedging his bets on the grounds that if there's no santa, there's no presents lol. He's not actually asked, or mentioned anything, and I'm happy to keep the secret till he brings it up like DD, which I'm kinda expecting AFTER Christmas lol

Their dad however was 3 or 4 when he found out :( He showed an expensive prezzie to his dad and said 'look Dad, look what Santa brought me!' His reply was 'It wasn't ruddy Santa...it was me' He said his whole world crumbled that day. I cried when he told me :blush:

mushpea
03-11-2011, 07:04 PM
my daughter is 13yrs and I'm sure she knows but she dosent let on but then I say 'no father christmas , no presants' even though they get at stocking their main pressies go under the tree and they know they are from us,,
my son is 11yrs and I dont think he has twigged yet but he is imature for his age ,
I wouldnt tell either of them unless they asked me, now they are older I would probaby be honest with them about it all. but at 8yrs old when he still belives thats really mean to say he dosent exist, due you think its because she cant really afford christmas so shes trying to cut down on what he recives and by saying there is no santa then she wont have to provide a stocking

LOOPYLISA
03-11-2011, 07:13 PM
I still tell my dd (13) hes real :laughing:

She believed up untill a late age, i say don't let them grow up too soon x

helengreen13
03-11-2011, 07:22 PM
I have three children age 8, 6 and 4 and they all firmly believe in Santa. One of my mindees who is 8 was having a few doubts as some of his class mates told him santa did not exist. His mum called me to one side at school last week and told me she didnt know what to say to him when ihe asked if Santa was real. I replied that it half the magic of christmas to say that he exists and explained how you can even track his movments on the internet christmas eve with Nordad.

She told me she was disgusted that as a childminder I would lie to a child!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and that my son was being asked to be picked on as he still believes at the age of 8. I am still shocked and tried to explain that it is not lying to say that santa exists BUT dont think I changed her mind. I love my children writing their lists, getting excited and even hearing the chatter over breakfast about how Santa gets into peoples homes without chimneys (we have a special key in our house). Its just really really sad that parents feel this way.

Helen

littleelm
03-11-2011, 10:25 PM
I thought I'd put my foot in it with 8yo mindee today.... group of them sat watching a bit of tv after school, and this particular little lad was saying 'I want that, I'm guna get that for christmas' etc etc for every single advert between programmes!

I said to him 'you're going to have to write father christmas a very long letter then!' and I was SO worried he was going to say FC doesn't exist in front of all the much younger mindees... but his response:

'I've already written to him silly!' Bless!