At what age did you realize...?

Question

That the easter bunny,santa, and the tooth fairy were fictional and at what age is it appropriate to tell a child the truth(or what you think is the truth) about these characters? I believe they are real! Fauries are too, but then again I have the heart of child. Do you?

Answer 1

My gosh! Are any of you harmed because your parents told you Santa brought you presents or the Easter bunny left you some chocolate?? It is a fun thing to do with a child. Can't say I am an worse for the wear because "Santa" came, and neither are my kids, and they do not think I am a "liar" for letting them believe either.

Answer 2

I was very young when I realized the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy weren't real. Though I kind of hung on to the belief in Santa till I was almost 10. My son was 8 years old when he said "I know Santa isn't real... you hide the gifts in the trunk of your car".
As for my heart being that of a child, yes. But it's mature enough to not just fall for anything labeled the "Truth".

Answer 3

My dad never told me about Santa. He didn't want to lie to me, and allow me to believe in fables. Other people would talk to me about whether I believed in Santa. When I asked my Dad about it, he looked at me and said, "Well, what do you think?" I said I didn't believe in all that, and he said, I was right. I was about six or so years of age, and Santa was a huge issue at my school.

But, now that I am older, I do know more about Saint Nicholas, the real person, and I am amazed at his life and continuous miracles. So having experienced all that as a child....I still believe in Saint Nicholas, and he is the patron Saint of my home. I am looking at his icon right now. He is part of the level of Saints considered, "Wonderworking", because the miracles attributed to him, are just amazing wonders.

Answer 4

Never really believe in them luckily, I had a childhood of abuse and neglect, so I didn't start to believe in things like the easter bunny, santa, organized religion etc... I considered myself an adult at age 10.

Answer 5

Ideally, you shouldn't introduce these characters as "real" in the first place. If the damage is done, you can disabuse them about the time they are first capable of abstract thought, say 7 or so. That way, you can introduce them to the "spirit of" versions of these characters. Or you can just wait until they ask and be honest.

Answer 6

Nowadays kids are way too smart to fall for stuff like this. Maybe till the age of 3 they will believe it. I was living in a world of fantasy till the age of12....but remember, it was way back.

Answer 7

I believe these myths should never be presented as true. Children should be told that they are just stories, nothing more, but that they shouldn't try to tell the other kids their age.

Make a game of it, see how long they can keep the secret. And if the secret slips out, oh well.

Answer 8

wow it had to be about 5 when i saw my dad eating the cookies we left out, lol...but thats a different story, you cannot disprove the existence of these figures so they will always exist in theory, but it is safe to assume that a jolly man in a red suit will not be sneaking into your house in Dec 25 this year, you should ask your parents how that stuff got there.

Answer 9

all my childhood charcters were made false around the time i lost faith in the little religion i had as a child. i just grew up, its nice to have those things as a kid but i fermly balieve as we grow up we realize these things are to make childhood fun and not so stressful. thats what adult life is for

Answer 10

I think back when I was 12, seems like an apropriate age, though oddly enough St. Nicholas, whom santa clause is based off of, did in fact exist.