If It Isn’t The Parents...

At what point do children stop believing in Santa Claus?  It's different ages depending on lots of factors, siblings, friends, parents slipping up being the biggest culprits of Santa Demystification.  For me, I don't remember the age I was, but it was my cousin who had undeniable evidence she presented to me one holiday season about how she saw her bicycle, hidden in the shed in the back yard days before the 25th, only to be told it was Santa who delivered it on his sled on Christmas Eve.

I didn't want to believe her, but with evidence like that, it shook my steadfast belief enough that by the following year, I no longer believed.   I'm not certain if I told my parents immediately; it was clear they were trying to maintain the ruse for me and I didn't want to accuse them of chicanery, knowing it was done so that I got presents, for free.  

We didn't want to have Santa for our family, but it was too prevalent in our society to do away with it altogether.  "What do you want from Santa" and "What did Santa give you for Christmas?" being questions asked by young and old across the board surrounding the Christmas holiday.

So instead, we decided to have a single gift, typically something large in size or value to the children. My son, we think, is starting to question the whole Santa situation.   This morning in the car we were talking about plans for the break as tomorrow is their last day of school before the holiday break.   I wasn't even talking about Santa but my son decided to throw out there, "That is if it isn't the parents, putting things under the tree."

This may be the last year for him.   I wonder if he'll spoil it for his sister or if he'll let her believe until she starts to question it herself.   I didn't confirm or deny his statement, I just changed the subject.   Knowing him and his desire to be a know-it-all, he'll be sure to tell her his theory the next time it comes up.

The Big Boy Update:  My son and husband are currently doing a scientific experiment.   Thet have three surfaces: a plate, the counter, and a fast defrost plate.   They're seeing which one melts an ice cube the quickest.   The fast defrost plate was a gift from my father several years ago that my husband uses regularly to defrost meats.   It's impressive how much more quickly the material of the metal plate pulls heat away from things.   They're timing it to see exactly how long it takes each surface to melt an ice cube.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter just ran into the wall and screamed.   She runs into things all the time.   She had come to talk to me about an altercation with her brother and on leaving, ran right into the wall and hit her eye.   I told her to scream.   To just scream and get out the frustration.   I've been there so many times and I hate that she runs into things all the time.   Considering how very little she can see, she does an outstanding job of avoiding most obstacles, but it still happens.