Since kids mature throughout their childhood, they will begin to see the reality of things, whether it comes from other people or them questioning their own beliefs and family traditions.
While the process of getting older and losing your child-like innocence cannot be helped, there are ways to broach the topic with kids so that they do not feel deceived or fooled when reality sets in.
According to one Children’s Health article, the age at which children know the truth about Santa Claus is not something that is set across the board.
“Elieen Santa-Sosa, a pediatric psychologist, says each family and each child within that family will be ready to talk about Santa at different ages,” Children’s Health said.
Although there is no definitive answer, Santa-Sosa believes that for the majority of developing children, the “years between age seven and 11 mark a big change in thinking.”
As per Boston Children’s Hospital’s Albert McKeon, he feels that biological age is not the main factor. “Age matters less than where they are emotionally,” McKeon said. “Some children might feel as if they’ve been lied to when learning these characters don’t exist, especially when parents have engaged in elaborate schemes to continue the belief or have used the legends to demand good behavior.”
For Good Housekeeping’s Cory Steig, parents should be able to pick up on their child’s perspective concerning matters of holiday characters. “There will be a few signs when the time has come,” Steig said. “You may notice that your child seems to be believing for your sake, or that he’s piecing together the clues on his own.”
In today’s world, Melissa Willets from Parents.com feels that the addition of the internet in people’s lives does not help the situation. “The problem lies once kids become tech savvy and a simple Google search can ruin the fun,” Willets said.
McKeon feels that the proper response to counter these instances will “depend on your child’s developmental level.”
“It’s important to have productive conversations with your child,” McKeon said.
There is no guarantee that your child will not become troubled with the new information, though. “If your child becomes upset, be empathetic,” Children’s Health said.