Some parents worry kids will be tramatized to learn the truth about Santa Claus

I think it is as diverse as children are. Some children are strong and nothing seems to phaze them. While others cry at the drop a hat. Most kids figure it out around 9 or 10 and are okay with it. I think 'magical thinking' is a part of being a child and is just fine unless the parents don't tell the truth if asked. THen it becomes a problem.

chilren adapt to situations much better than most parents think that they will. the belief in sants claus does something different for a child. there is that glimmer of hope and delight that cannot be found or explained anywhere else. I don';t think that parents really should worry too much about the truth of santa being revealed to their children,. it is not a horror or circumstance they can not overcome., children are very resilient and bounce back when adults would be rrady to throw in the towel.

I wonder if parents of kids who were traumatized made too big of a deal of it. Our kids believed in him when they were very small, but sort of "grew out" of the children's view of Santa Claus as they began to learn to think logically. Ask them now and they believe in Santa Claus just like I do. AND I believe in God.

I can understand parents having some reluctance about lying to their children, after all it is a parent's responsibility to impress honesty on their children. Nevertheless, you cannot realistically contemplate depriving a child of the simple pleasure of fantasy. I would never consider reading a fairy tale to a young child then pointing out it is only an invented story. Likewise I would never tell a child that Santa Claus was not real. Children do find out in due course, just as they will realise that fairy tales are untrue, so they may as well be allowed to enjoy such pleasures for a while.

Well, it's bad enough that we say Santa Claus over here now. When I was little it was Father Christmas. That said, though, it was my brother who told me there was no Father Christmas. He's 14 months younger than me and mentioned seeing a bike being hidden somewhere and 'would you like to see it?' I told him, 'no' and ran off. Needless to say, I was devastated. I can't remember how old I was but my brother was a git in those days and if I wanted to know about Father Christmas not being real, I would've preferred it coming from my Mum and Dad, not him. I've no children of my own but it's an awkward one isn't it? If they didn't find out from their friends or the internet what year do you sit down with them and say, 'I'm afraid Father Christmas isn't real.' I'm glad I don't have that dilemma.

I think it's how the parent approach the child about Santa. If a parent never talks about Santa then a child will never believe he is real but if you talk to the child about him then they will think he is real. Weather its a good to let a child just learn in there own time I think is best or to be just straight forward from the start. That no Santa isn't real but Christmas is about giving to others and to remember not give all year around and not just on one day of the year and to remember if that person is religious that this was the day that Jesus was born. Because we don't celebrate Santa as bring part of Christmas doesn't mean that others do not believe in him and we should respect that is what that person believes in.

Eventually children learn there is no Santa Clause and if they are normal, happy kids they should't be traumatized. I think they should be told by their parents so they can ask any questions they have about him.

I don't remember either when I learned the facts. But I had a down-to-earth and logical mind and I think I had already figured it out. Back then we learned things via word of mouth. Now the kids have all the techie stuff and will be exposed like we weren't. Kids today aren't like we were. We were innocent and stayed that way into our teens. Today's kids are exposed to everything.

I think when parents talk with love and treat them as adults there's no concern. Traumatizing is like what happened to me, I was 5 or 6 and my father just walked straight to the tree and put the present, they never told me, they never said anything just broke my dream and I was waiting for Santa the whole year, I was so shocked that I couldn't say anything and I hid my tears at night as well.

In my country, it will be easy to explain to their kids that Santa is not real. The mere fact, my country is a tropical island with no snow falling from above. But then, parents used to tell them about Santa.

When I lived in the usa a 6 year old was hit by a car.. she was told by her father that santa was fake. She ran outside crying in the streets. Was hit by a car. Thanks god she survived.

My parents never told me. I was old when I found out. About 10 years old. I remember feeling grateful to them for making me happy on Christmas Day. I guess it's not a big deal with kids nowadays especially those who are using internet on a daily basis. They will find out one way or the other. But if the kid is really looking forward to Santa's arrival, then it's natural for the kid to be disappointed.