3rd grade

I was a firm believer until 9. My mom told me Santa wasn’t real after I asked her “Why doesn’t Santa love poor children”? We also grew up poor but still got presents on Christmas while some of my schoolmates didn’t. It was traumatic to learn that way. I remember a lot of kids not believing in Santa or the Tooth Fairy at that age but I didn’t care.

Anonymous wrote:I am jealous of kids who hung on to the magic longer. My soon to be 7 year old is "pretty sure" Mom and Dad are Santa. I think I have one more year at best. She will most likely play along with the magic for her two younger sisters, but I wanted her to be in the fantasy longer. The tooth fairy just started and she think she is real, right now. Who knows how long that will last.

We started too high with tooth fairy - we gave 4 dollars (why I don't know).... Now we are 4 teeth in and it doesn't feel sustainable. But how to explain the sudden lessening of payment.

I asked around and all my friends said they gave 5 bucks for first tooth and 1 thereafter. So when our kid lost teeth, we told him that we'd heard from friends whose kids had lost teeth earlier that that's what the tooth fairy gave, and he accepted that. $1 is pretty good! When I was a kid it was 25 cents!

You're a little further in but I'm sure you can come up with something.

My 7 year old recently asked whether the tooth fairy was truly real. (This is after losing 6 teeth.) I asked what he thought. He said he didn't think so, and he thought it was us, the parents. I asked him if he really, really wanted to know, and he said he did, so I told him he was right but to play along so (1) he'd keep getting paid and (2) not to ruin it for younger sibling. He was happy to know and happy to play along, and did so for his next tooth.

He is not a very imaginative kid though. Very practical and logical, wants to know how things work. The younger one is a daydreamer so we'll see.

We're Jewish so we never did Santa or Easter anything.

Years ago when my son was 12 I asked him if he believed in Santa, knowing that he didn’t. His answer was “I believe in the spirit of Santa Claus.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid didn't lose his first tooth until he was 9. By then, he knew there was no tooth fairy but was still happy to get $ under his pillow.

I think this is true for most kids 9 + they don't believe, but they are happy to play along for the fun and tradition of it and for the goods.

Exactly. I left out cookies for Santa until I graduated from high school. But by around 1st grade I knew it was my mom.

Sort f the same her. MY parents never taught us the Santa story, but we were always happy and excited about gifts and all the other Christmas time traditions, like Holiday lights in the park, decorating the tree, baking cookings, hot chocolate and singing carols etc well into teens. I knew they were the tooth fairy by the time I was 7, but it was still fun to play pretend and wake up with money under the pillow.

I also think children have a way of believing and not believing at the same time they have to figure out the logistics and know it's the parent behind it, but they still believe in the magic of it all, I suppose that's the wonder of childhood!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid didn't lose his first tooth until he was 9. By then, he knew there was no tooth fairy but was still happy to get $ under his pillow.

I think this is true for most kids 9 + they don't believe, but they are happy to play along for the fun and tradition of it and for the goods.

Exactly. I left out cookies for Santa until I graduated from high school. But by around 1st grade I knew it was my mom.

Anonymous wrote:My son is 19 now, so he stopped believing in both of them a long time ago. However, he works in a daycare now and dresses as Santa Claus for the kids every year.

Aww, your son sounds amazing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid didn't lose his first tooth until he was 9. By then, he knew there was no tooth fairy but was still happy to get $ under his pillow.

Wait, what? Your kid didn't lose his first tooth until 9? Are you sure you aren't misremembering.

I remember having a conversation with a friend at the time about Waldorf schools and Rudolph Steiner's theory that kids shouldn't learn to read until they start losing their teeth. I was glad we didn't subscribe to that as he had been already been reading for years.

My kid still believes at 10, although this is probably the last year. I think being out of school last year helped a bunch.

Anonymous wrote:My kid didn't lose his first tooth until he was 9. By then, he knew there was no tooth fairy but was still happy to get $ under his pillow.

Wait, what? Your kid didn't lose his first tooth until 9? Are you sure you aren't misremembering.

Anonymous wrote:My kid didn't lose his first tooth until he was 9. By then, he knew there was no tooth fairy but was still happy to get $ under his pillow.

I think this is true for most kids 9 + they don't believe, but they are happy to play along for the fun and tradition of it and for the goods.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on how strongly your kids trust you and how curious they are in general. Most kids really trust their parents so if their parents are telling them those things are real, they will usually keep believing. I think many parents soften their language around age 6 and start asking questions. Around first grade is when the kids are sharing notes at school and most kids are clued in by 8 or 9. Past that age, I think parents have to intervene to prevent an uncomfortable moment and possible loss of trust.

Kids trust their parents to lie.

It’s not a lie.

So a a man in a red suit with flying reindeer climbs down your chimney and gives your kids gifts? Some chick with wings takes your kids teeth and drops money on them? Shit ! Some of us really lucked out in life!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on how strongly your kids trust you and how curious they are in general. Most kids really trust their parents so if their parents are telling them those things are real, they will usually keep believing. I think many parents soften their language around age 6 and start asking questions. Around first grade is when the kids are sharing notes at school and most kids are clued in by 8 or 9. Past that age, I think parents have to intervene to prevent an uncomfortable moment and possible loss of trust.

Kids trust their parents to lie.

It’s not a lie.

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on how strongly your kids trust you and how curious they are in general. Most kids really trust their parents so if their parents are telling them those things are real, they will usually keep believing. I think many parents soften their language around age 6 and start asking questions. Around first grade is when the kids are sharing notes at school and most kids are clued in by 8 or 9. Past that age, I think parents have to intervene to prevent an uncomfortable moment and possible loss of trust.

Kids trust their parents to lie.