09 November 2023 , 17:50
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As a parent, navigating your way around topics such as Father Christmas, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy can be a nightmare. Every parent seems to have a different way of incorporating the seasonal characters into their children's lives, but once your kids start going to school and talking to other youngsters, it becomes harder and harder to keep the truth from them - especially if the stories don't align.
But one mum has said she's worried her son will be "made fun of" at school if she doesn't tell him the truth about Santa soon, as he's 12 years old and currently still believes the gift-giving bearded man is real. She also said she's concerned that if she doesn't come clean, he'll find out from a classmate and get "upset" with her for "lying to him for so long".
In a post on Reddit, the concerned mum, from the US, asked: "My son is 12 and in 7th grade. He is in honours classes, makes the honour roll, is social and has many friends but he still believes in Santa Claus. I even asked my older son if he had confided in him that he really didn't and just didn't want to tell me and he said no. My question is - should I tell him? I hate to be the one to break it to him but I also fear him getting made fun of or getting upset with me for lying to him for so long."
Commenters on the post were quick to reassure the mum that she wasn't doing anything wrong by keeping the "magic" of Christmas alive by allowing her son to keep believing in Santa Claus, with many even stating that it's likely the youngster already knows the truth but prefers to keep pretending Father Christmas is real.
One person said: "To this day, my parents have never told me Santa Claus doesn't exist. They say if you stop believing in him, he won't bring you any presents. I'm 48. I still get presents from Santa Claus," while another added: "He probably does know and just isn't saying anything to ruin the Christmas 'magic'. There's no way a 12-year-old in today's world hasn't looked it up online or had friends or kids at school tell them. Just leave it be."
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Another commenter admitted that they didn't find out until they were 12, but joked that their mum sat them down and said "Honey, I'm Santa Claus", leading them to spend another year thinking that Santa was still real, but that it was their mum delivering presents around the globe.