Believing in Santa

I was sitting in the middle of the floor wrapping presents (waiting till last minute... duh me) and my 8 yr old walked out and seen me doing it and all the wrapped presents on the floor. We thought he was asleep considering that there was NO movement or noise for about an hour before I started. Now he WONT go back to sleep, keeps making the excuse he has to go to the bathroom, he wants a drink, Etc....and it's 3:30 am!
Im wondering what to do besides tell him to go to bed. I mean, should I tell him, since he caught me? I told him I was wrapping my husbands (his stepdads) present but I dont think he believes me. I dont know what to do. Well I guess it will be all done and over with in the morning, I just dont know what to say to him and was hopin I would get one more year out of it. I also am worried he will tell our 4yr old there is no Santa. We definatly DONT want that!
Im very tired, and upset because I still have to put things in thier stockings which are hung on thier door but cant. *sigh* Thy grow up SO fast

How did it go?
I had a close call with my 8yr old last night as well, thank god for a squeaky bed ladder!

Oh that's a bummer! I was 8 when I was told that there was no santa - or rather, I was told that santa was still there, but he ddin't have time to wrap the presents, so he asked mummy and daddy to do it for him. Because Santa is a really busy man you know, has to do millions of homes all over the world in just 24 hours! So, I think perhaps that could be a way to go

or you were just checking that santa had delivered the (insert present name here...) that you son asked for and had to re-wrap them quickly before the morning!

by 8 most kids have a pretty good idea santas not real. be thankfull he found out like this and not through his friends or the mean kids at school.

Not sure what to suggest to keep the fiction with your son. But if it does get blown, I think the thing to do would be to take him into your confidence, as a Big Boy. You haven't said anything, even though he's old enough to understand, because you don't want to spoil it for Little Sister -- please help Mum and Dad keep the secret for her for a while longer, until she's older. Something along those lines...Good Luck!

He is 8 and still believes in santa
I found out when i was 4 usually though kids by that age dont believe in santa, maybe he plays along?

Originally Posted by fwan

He is 8 and still believes in santa

I found out when i was 4 usually though kids by that age dont believe in santa, maybe he plays along?

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I was thinking that myself. A lot of kids maintain the fiction for the sake of younger siblings.

SANTA'S NOT REAL?????

Santa IS real.
He is in our hearts.

i was 6 when I found out. (me and my sister snuck out to the living room and saw my parents stuffing the stockings...) I kept up the ruse for several years... didn't want to disappoint my parents... I'm the baby of the family.

I'd tell him that Santa was busy and needed your help to finish wrapping the last few presents. If he doesn't believe you, ask him to at least keep it a secret from the 4 year old.

Amanda

If you still want him to believe for another year or two, tell him that Santa is EXTRA busy this year, and that you are helping him by wrapping the presents that he delievered and putting them under the tree.

Or, you could say that Santa is sick this year, so Santa told all the parents they would have to do all the Christmas shopping this year, but Santa will definitely be back next year.

And if he doesn't believe you and gets really sad and cries about it, you can comfort him by saying that now he knows a BIG secret, and it's exciting and that he knows something that other kids don't know and he has to keep it a secret, and it's fun to pretend Santa is real with the littler kids, and that now he is a big-kid since he knows.

Hope you guys have a great Christmas.

Originally Posted by jcat

I was thinking that myself. A lot of kids maintain the fiction for the sake of younger siblings.

Click to expand...

This may be true, but maybe I'm just a really gullible person but I still firmly believed until my mother had to finally break it to me when I was about 8, almost 9, because she didn't want the kids at school making fun of me if I ever started talking about Santa a lot of the other kids knew. She asked me 'do you want to know a big secret?'...and of course I did, and she said Santa's not real, and I said 'come on mom, stop joking!' I still believed till then, never even suspected it!

I'm sure you've already dealt with it by now, but here are a couple ideas (if it happens to anyone else...)

Tell him that Santa was really extra busy this year because there are so many children who need extra help from him this Christmas because of the hurricane.

Make him a part of the Santa plan. Tell him that Santa is REAL, because the spirit of Santa Clause is in everyone who enjoys giving presents and seeing how happy others are when they get them. And because he is a part of being Santa for his sister, he won't want to spoil it for her.

Or don't say anything at all. Heck, my sister and I knew for a LONG time before we ever let on. But then again, we, um, didn't let on until we started buying our own presents (to Mom and Dad) from Santa. Actually, up until my sister's new husband started bringing his kids to our Christmas, Santa kept bringing presents. He didn't ever want his kids to believe in Santa because he wanted them to know everything came from him. But the classic line was when my Dad opened a present from Santa, and the youngest who was about 5 asked incredulously if he really believed in Santa. Dad's reply was, "As long as he brings me presents, I still believe in him!"

I found out from my older sister. She thought I was already asleep, and she called out to my Mom not to forget that I had lost a tooth. I already kind of knew, but asked about the tooth fairy, and Santa. I don't remember how old I was.

I try to "ease" my kids into it. I don't ever want to flat out tell them that Santa isn't real. If they ask, I just say , "What do you think?" Then we are never in a position where I have been reinforcing when they are doubting, but also never in a position af crushing their dream.

I'll never forget when dd who had just turned 7, thought her babysitter really believed in Santa Claus. I said, no, she is just playing the game for the sake of the kids. She said, no, she really does believe!

Whether they believe or not, they still get a stocking and a gift from Santa. I think my oldest believed until she was 12. Just when she had gotten to doubt, The Santa Claus movie came out, and explained everything! Like how he gets into a home without a fireplace.

If your child is starting to doubt, I would just play that movie, and hope it helps! LOL!

Originally Posted by fwan

He is 8 and still believes in santa

I found out when i was 4 usually though kids by that age dont believe in santa, maybe he plays along?

Click to expand...

my daughter is 9 (will be 10 in june) and still believes in santa. in our house though the family gives all the gifts under the tree except one and that one comes from santa and santa also fills the stockings

I believed until I was 10. And after that I wasn't so sure. But I kept my mouth shut for my sister's sake. The others have given great suggestions.

DixieDarlin, what happened?? I'm anxious to hear what he had to say in the morning!

Originally Posted by Shiraz21

DixieDarlin, what happened?? I'm anxious to hear what he had to say in the morning!

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Me, too...and I do hope he dealt with it okay if he found out.

Well, he didnt go to bed to sleep until 4:30 in the morning. I tried to avoid the subject when he brought it up, which was numerous times that morning. He kept sayin "I heard paper crinkling" I just told him I was wrapping my mom's presents and he bought it until he went into my bedroom, (Looking for Tiger) under my bed, and spotted the wrapping paper, bows and tape. I played it off and told him Santa was SO busy he dropped the presents and wrapping paper off and asked if I could wrap the gifts and since there was paper left over I used it to do everyone's gifts. I think he might have bought it, but I think he may just be playing along. He has not asked me straight out if Santa is real or not. Im just going with the flow. Im not going to volunteer any information if he doesn't ask

My sister heard her girls talking one year, when the oldest was 8 and the younger was 6. One said, "Do we still believe in Santa?". The other said, "Yeah, I think we should believe in Santa for at least another year".

I think kids know a lot, and they just don't want to have their parents outright lie to them. He probably won't ask more, and what you told him was exactly right.

I don't ever remember actually believing in Santa, I knew that when I told Santa what I wanted for Christmas, I had to be loud enough for my parents to hear. On my own, I figured out that Santa was the guy who worked at the store, telling parents what their kids wanted.

And we still get a stocking filled, and a present under the tree from Santa. My mom always bought something for herself from Santa. And this year, my BIL did the same thing, had a big Santa Sack filled with all the stuff he picked up for himself while he was shopping. And he made us all sit and watch as he opened each gift, and oohed and aawed over all of them, as if it was the first time he was seeing them all.