I posted this on Facebook last year.
It was a tough, disappointing conversation. My boy had grown up, a unique piece of the impossibility of childhood gone forever. Or so I thought.
I had thought for sure all the secrets were out. Then Christmas came and .. he either played along or forgot that he knew.
I can’t tell!
And now, as Easter arrives again, I can’t decide if Zacharie, now nearly 9, is still a believer. He might have forgotten he has it figured out. Or maybe he doesn’t want us to remember that he has it figured out.
“Why are there Easter eggs at the stores?,” he asked this week, not letting us off with the usual round of dismissive answers. When we played that Leprechauns had run around our house a few weeks back, he was a little skeptical.
He’s been asking enough pointed questions that I wonder if he’ll blow the circus for Charlie.
My dad blogger group had dads sharing the story of having to come clean with their 11 year old this week because she was getting teased at school over her belief. Yes, at 11 she was still hook, line and sinker. Others in the group commiserated with stories of their 9-11 year olds who were still on board, the Elf on the Shelf being the new catalyst of the past few years that tipped the scales a little longer.
So what do I do?
Zacharie and I had the talk last year. He knows, he just doesn’t know that he knows. Or he’s trying to fake it to get more gear? It’s one of those conversations you never want to initiate, but I think I might have to in order to protect our 6 yr old for just a few more years.
When did your kids stop believing in the Easter Bunny, The Elf on the Shelf, Santa, and friends?