Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Judy Blume: Parents worry too much about what children read
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/10868544/Judy-Blume-Parents-worry-too-much-about-what-children-read.html

I’m team Judy but you do you!

I agree that problematic material goes over kids' heads if they're not ready for it. I read Jean Auel in grade school and didn't really think anything of some of the content at the time.

Santa Claus is not above kids' heads, though. He is right at the level of 4, 6, 8 year olds.

From the article:
"A lot of people will want to control everything in their children's lives, or everything in other people's children's lives.”

I really feel like other people are trying to control my kids with respect to Santa - that I really have to keep up a lie for other people.

I'm sorry that a PSA about a book makes you feel so attacked.

The PSA specifically called out the author for being Jewish. It was an obvious attack.

My DS knew Santa doesn't exist long before he told me he knew Santa doesn't exist. He told me that he didn't want to hurt my feelings because I was so "gung ho Santa!" that he thought that I didn't know that Santa doesn't exist.

My children are atheists and were brought up believing in Santa. We do not let them tell their Christian friends that the whole Jesus thing is bunk. Everyone does things differently but it is obnoxious to go out of your way to make someone else feel bad.

I think it's so backwards that so many parents/schools/society in general now force reading and writing on kids well before it is age appropriate for them to be doing sit down academic work (age 4- when it's more appropriate to start that around age 6 or even 7 according to most child development experts, and let children learn almost entirely by play before that)... yet we've also started infantilizing them in other ways, like with pretending it's normal for a 9 year old neurotypical kid to believe in Santa Claus. Is it to make up for the fact that we're forcing them to grow up earlier in other ways? Or are the children pushing back on being forced to grow up earlier in other ways by now lagging behind in critical thinking/ problem solving skills that would usually allow them to naturally outgrow Santa much earlier? I've heard that kids are showing delays in things like sensory skills, etc because of forced early academic work taking up brain space that should be spent playing outdoors and learning to play with friends. It is an interesting thought.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't Super Fudge geared towards, like, 2nd and 3rd graders? So 8 year old kids? If your kid still believes in Santa at age 8 you have some problems.

Someone posted this on the other thread, but IME it is accurate:

Almost all kindergartners and first graders still believe in Santa.

Most 2nd graders believe.

Some 3rd graders are skeptical.

Most 4th graders doubt Santa, but will hedge their bets just in case.

Maybe times have changed, I didn't believe in Santa in first grade and I remember specifically kids teasing another classmate for still believing. We were all, most likely, 7 years old. I pretended to believe because it was fun to do, but I knew Santa was clearly just my mom and dad. So did everyone else for the most part.

Yes, actually, there are many differences between my childhood and my kids' childhood. Do you have kids? How old are they?

They are 3 and 9 months. Yes, there are many differences in many things. Cognitive development rates of children have remained somewhat static, though. Including ability to think critically about things like Santa starting around the age that magical thinking goes away.... early elementary school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't Super Fudge geared towards, like, 2nd and 3rd graders? So 8 year old kids? If your kid still believes in Santa at age 8 you have some problems.

Someone posted this on the other thread, but IME it is accurate:

Almost all kindergartners and first graders still believe in Santa.

Most 2nd graders believe.

Some 3rd graders are skeptical.

Most 4th graders doubt Santa, but will hedge their bets just in case.

Maybe times have changed, I didn't believe in Santa in first grade and I remember specifically kids teasing another classmate for still believing. We were all, most likely, 7 years old. I pretended to believe because it was fun to do, but I knew Santa was clearly just my mom and dad. So did everyone else for the most part.

Yes, actually, there are many differences between my childhood and my kids' childhood. Do you have kids? How old are they?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't Super Fudge geared towards, like, 2nd and 3rd graders? So 8 year old kids? If your kid still believes in Santa at age 8 you have some problems.

Someone posted this on the other thread, but IME it is accurate:

Almost all kindergartners and first graders still believe in Santa.

Most 2nd graders believe.

Some 3rd graders are skeptical.

Most 4th graders doubt Santa, but will hedge their bets just in case.

Maybe times have changed, I didn't believe in Santa in first grade and I remember specifically kids teasing another classmate for still believing. We were all, most likely, 7 years old. I pretended to believe because it was fun to do, but I knew Santa was clearly just my mom and dad. So did everyone else for the most part.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually think it’s more nuts that people can’t believe that children believe in Santa. Im gearing kids aren’t smart because they still believe and it’s ridiculous. Lots of parents remember the joy of Christmas and Santa as a kid and that’s why they do it for theirs. I’m starting to think all the parents who can’t believe had miserable childhoods.

i have an alternative take. parents who are so invested in protecting their children from age-appropriate information in order to preserve the "magic" of a single day are having miserable parenthoods and are trying to compensate with Christmas.

? If you’re talking 4-5 for age appropriate I can understand, but anyone who thinks 6-8 is too old for Santa is just a miserable person.

EIGHT YEARS OLD? There was a post on here a few days ago about an 8.5 year old getting their period and people were saying it was within the range of normal for an overweight child (true). Now eight year olds are far too young to figure out Santa? But getting their period is okay? When will they stop believing- when they're getting married?