My son read that book in 2nd or 3rd, didn't think twice about it and was still a believer through 6th grade.
But our "other issues" are probably that he has family who are jewish and don't celebrate Christmas, so it's nothing to him if some people don't believe. |
I agree. Parents were not nearly as invested in their kids believing in Santa for as long as possible back then (I'm in my 40s). By late elementary, most kids had heard from somewhere that Santa wasn't real. I still got a gift from Santa, but it was a little more like playing along with a game. I didn't believe Santa was real, but I didn't not-believe, either--it was fun to play along. I doubt that parents then would have freaked out because a fifth-grader read a book where one character said that Santa wasn't real. |
I can’t believe 6th graders really believe!? That is really odd. |
I'm older than you by a lot and I agree with this. I remember being much younger when I found out Santa was fake and it wasn't traumatic at all. My parents certainly weren't concerned about life-altering effects of finding out the truth. |
Wow, OP. Blame her Judaism. That’s not prejudicial at all. It couldn’t be any other reason. I’m Jewish, and guess what? A Christian told me that Santa wasn’t real. |
When you were 4? |
Well, he is fake, soooo....
I think in the 80s people didn't keep up the Santa charade as long as they do now. Or they didn't take it as serious if the kids found out he was fake. Also, this book has been around since 1980, spoilers! |
When I was 4, I told my mom I didn’t buy the flying reindeer thing and it just didn’t really seem to make sense logically and she just said - ok, you’re right but don’t tell anyone. And I didn’t. |
Thanks for the heads-up OP. Was about to start reading that series to my 1st grader. This is not how I would want her to find out about Santa. She is a true believer. |
Is your kid reading Super Fudge at 4? I had older siblings so I pretty much never believed in Santa or the Tooth Fairy. If you pin so much importance on your kid believing a fairy tale, then yeah, you can't really be mad when the inevitable happens ... |
I read this book when I was in first grade and it definitely outed Santa for me. |
Those Judy Blume books are aimed at 4th through 6th graders. One of their main contributions was their discussion of topics that kids were curious about, but that adults would not discuss with them.
My son figured this out by age 6, and I learned by age 7. I cant imagine a fourth grader not figuring this out. It is a deception, and, as well meaning as it is, the lengths you can expect other people to go to preserve it are limited. |
Ha my poor 1st grader hasn’t lost any teeth and already knows the tooth fairy isn’t real (older sibling). When I heard him say it though I said if I ever hear you say that again she won’t visit you when you lose your teeth ![]() |
I had older siblings so I believed in Santa and the Tooth Fairy the longest. Older siblings can take responsibility for keeping the magic alive, being in on the secret. |
Before I started lurking here I never realized there were adults who believed in Santa with a religious fervor. You're nuts. |