On Christmas Eve, the scene is set. The tree is sparkling, stockings are hanging, cookies and milk are waiting. The kids are fast asleep in bed, visions of sugar plums (and the iPads and new gaming systems they’ve been wanting all year) dancing in their heads. Only the big man in red came to visit.
For many children, Christmas is about Santa Claus and his infamous journey down the chimney with a bag of goodies. Parents around the world are scrambling to complete their wish lists to ensure the Christmas magic lasts as long as possible. But eventually, as is often the case, all good things must come to an end.
Dr. Candice Mills, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Dallas, published a series of studies called “The Santa Project,” which showed that most children begin to doubt Santa around the age of 8. Studies show that some children begin to question his existence as young as 3 or 4 years old, while others hold on to their beliefs until they are 15 or 16 years old.
What’s the truth? The older children get, the more observant they become.
In 1936, child psychologist Piaget proposed the “cognitive development theory” of children, which is divided into four stages. Piaget pointed out that around the age of 8 (this is indeed the generally suspected age agreed upon by psychologists), children enter the third stage of thinking, the concrete operational stage. This is the stage where they begin to question the impossible. We adults know without a doubt that while the idea of Santa Claus is indeed magical, it is absolutely impossible.
I mean, real – We want our children to believe that one man traveled the entire world in one night and left a gift for every child. The same goes for flying sleds. Led by a magical reindeer with a shiny red nose. Young children can use their imaginations to inspire this creative fantasy. But as they get older, children begin to entertain less fantasy and start asking more fact-avoiding questions.
So, how long has it been? your Do children believe in Santa Claus?
Personally, my son is 11 years old and still a true believer. We won’t put fake footprints around the tree, but we will wait until he falls asleep on Christmas Eve to take out most of the presents. In our house, he can only ask for one gift from Santa and we try our best to make sure he gets it. The way it’s wrapped or arranged is very luxurious, so it’s the first thing he sees when he wakes up on Christmas morning.
Other moms I spoke to for this article revealed that their children were reaching incredible milestones at a much younger age. Last year, when Hannah G.’s 5-year-old son developed a habit of asking questions about everything. When Christmas came around and he started seeing different versions of Santa Claus in movies and on TV, he asked her if Santa Claus was real.
Hannah said she had already decided when he asked that she would never lie to him no matter how old he got. So, she told him the truth. Her son accepted it at the time…but chose to believe it again this year. If he asked her again, though, she would tell him the truth. again. (But for now, she’ll let him live in blissful six-year-old denial.)
As pediatric psychologist Dr. Erin Sosa tells Children’s Health, “Changes in thinking don’t happen overnight, and there’s no set age at which children should learn the truth about Santa Claus.”
Sosa believes that children will gradually see the truth, so when you tell them your story, they are ready to listen. She also said there are several factors that can affect their ability to believe, including family traditions, cognitive development, encounters with a real-life Santa Claus and, of course, what other children say at school.
Cassie M. told me that her oldest son was 10 years old when he found out, but he never had the chance to ask she If Santa Claus really is for this reason. One day he came home from high school and said he knew Santa Claus didn’t exist. Some of his friends told him Santa Claus wasn’t real and he believed them. She admits they were right and tells him the whole story about jolly old Saint Nick. To this day, he helps keep her spirit alive for his younger siblings.
Some kids simply don’t (and never have) believed it, no matter their age.
Some parents simply don’t accept the one thing necessary to uphold the spirit of dear old Santa Claus: lying to their children. These parents choose to tell their children the truth from the start rather than spend years trying to convince them that every year a jolly man in a red suit squeezes down the chimney to bring them gifts.
Jennifer S. said: “This is an unpopular opinion, but my kids know that Santa Claus is not real real. They believe he is the hero of Christmas, but they know that’s all.
What are the benefits of being honest with your child from the beginning? If your kids don’t believe this to begin with, you don’t have to spend every Christmas wondering if this is your last year playing Santa. Still, for parents who look forward to creating Christmas magic, every passing year brings you closer to the end of an era.
Whether your child is 4 or 14, there is no magic number that determines whether they should still believe it. However, one thing is certain – eventually, they will find out. Christmas will be forever changed.
