How and when should you tell your kids Santa Claus is not real?

Well kids these days are very very smart. So you don;t have to them anything and they'll get to know. So till then keep speaking to them about Santa. Tell them that you were on his naughty list coz you din believe in him :-) He's da man who brightens up the spirit of christmas n don let him fade away. lol. Have a wonderful Christmas..!!

i remember when my son came home from school and told me that the other kids are saying there is no santa. i asked him how he felt about it and he told me i want to believe there is but should i? I told him if you want to believe then do so.i was not going to tell him this isnt that is something they find out when they are ready to except it. So i asked him if he believed but he wanted some proof.so that year i went and bought some sleigh bells that actually went on a horse and wrote a letter from santa saying i hear that you were having doubts and this made us sad here at the north pole and rudolph (which was his favorite) wanted you to have his sleigh bells off his harness to show you that we still care. and he took them to his school and showed everyone... and when he came home he told me that many of the kids started believing again.Now he is 17 and we laugh about it so no it wont hurt for your kids to have an imagination.they have shows like barney the dinosaur on tv is it ok for them watch that and believe? my daughter is 10 now and she still believes in some ways she knows hes not but she still believes in the whole Christmas thing and knows the real reason for the season.so let them be kids and enjoy it while they can

i dont have child but i feel this is not neccssery to say now days children are so smart they understand through the pictor and story book this is my opinion ok

The best way to deal with it is to never start it. You can tell the stories about Santa and explain that it is a fun game that people play or its a nice story that illustrates the spirit of giving, but there is no reason to make this marketing tool a reality in a child's life. Why create a "false reality" and then have to unteach it so that the child can deal actual reality? Talking to the child about traditions in different cultures and different spiritual paths will serve her better through out life. Also, why create that sense of anticipation that begins a month or so before Christmas? The child will learn about anticipation, rewards for good behaviour, and delaying gratification without having to live through the deception of the Santa factor. Think of it this way. If yo spend alot of time teaching Santa, the Easter Bunny, and other little cutesy but untrue beliefs, how is that child supposed to trust you when you speak to them later about subjects that are important to their well being? Your home can still be deocrated, the gifts can still arrive. Those things will all still have meaning.

I wouldnt want to tell my kids there is no santa.. I think thats kinda mean.. I remember believing in santa and being very excited around christmas time thinking he would be at my house or something.. My opinion is to just let them find out on their own.. there comes a time when they get to a certain age where they question if that stuff is real or not, but for the time being, let the kids be kids. let them have fun and excitement. but they should always know what the true meaning of christmas is too though I think..

I remember when my son found out there was no Santa (from kids at school) and asked me why we had lied to him about it. I told him it was no lie, everyone has a little Santa in them. It was no more a lie than when he used to dress as a cowboy and play games with the other boys. The real spirit of Christmas is love, and what could be more loving than giving a child gifts he didn't have to thank you personally for? What could be more Christ like?

i think it is a good idea

LOL =) My daughter is 9 years old now... This year I don't feel good and I don't want want celebry Christmas, New year or any other celebries so I told my daughter that Santa isn't real. Well, she didn't believe me =)) =)) Poor me...

tell your child when she starts asking and nurturing about santa claus

i wouldnt want to tell my kids (when/if i had any) that their is no santa. if they believe on him, then so be it. i think, i'll just let them realize as they get older.

As others have already said, you probably won't need to say anything to them. There will no doubt come a time once your daughter starts school that she'll come home and ask about it. And from there it's up to you on whether you want to come clean or use a little evasiveness :) It's interesting really some of the responses I've read to this, those that say you shouldn't lie about it etc and some reactions you may get - my kids were simply -one year it was true, the next year in the back of the mind they knew it wasn't but went along with it and then after that it just wasn't real anymore. There were no bad reactions, no why did you lie about it etc. I'll happily admit though, I wanted to keep Father Christmas alive as long as possible :-)

What???? Santa isn't real? I wouldn't tell them, I would let them find out on their own. Kids are smart. If your child asks you about it I would be honest but I wouldn't intentionally hurt their beliefs by telling them.

I would let them figure it out on their own. Kids are smart and it doesn't take long for them to clue into it. I figured it out one year when the writing on the tags from Santa matched the writing on the tags from my mom. I was fairly young at the time.

you should let them figure it out by themselves.

I do not think we should tell are kids santa is not real they will find out for themselves when they are old enough to realise it.

I think you should tell them from the very beginning. Telling them that there is a santa claus is a lie and if you lie to them, you give them the right to lie to you. The only reason santa claus becomes a big deal anyway is because you told them there was a santa claus. If not for people telling kids that lie they would just enjoy the day and the gifts they receive.

I don't think you really have to tell your kids. I'm pretty sure they'll find out on their own, and sometimes they actually get quite sad (I know I cried like a baby). So be prepared to comfort them when that comes, but it's generally around grade 6 and up.

You dont even have to tell them, they will know on their own. For the mean time, keep their spirist always alive.

i don think u l have to tel her... she herself wil realise as time goes o and her maturity level increases...

I think we should tell the true about there's no Santa. Santa Claus just a myth before they grow up with this hoax.