and SAD epiphanies

#1 son asked about childhood fables the other day. specifically, santa, easter bunny, et al.

he asked me a couple of weeks/months ago if they were mom and dad, and i said "if you think they are, you're probably right." he decided that he thought they were real and that was right.

turns out, some (cursed) kid at school (!) has been telling him they're only make-believe. so he asked again, and we had to talk, and have the painful growing-up discussion. i told him yes, mom and dad do the work, but believing in such things is what makes childhood magical, and they're real if you believe; not tangible, but real. he actually got choked up. my poor baby.

then he asked if God was real, and of course i said yes. and he replied "I knew it!"

this poor kid had a teacher tell the class they were too old to believe in fairy tales in 3rd grade. i said he should reply "people who believe in magical things have happier lives than people who don't." same applies here. now the KIDS in 4th grade are interfering with his childhood. gr.

he's an emotional person, and loves fairy tales and suchlike, and wants to be a children's book author and illustrator. i think he can believe as long as he likes! he's not even 10 until next month!

i try to be honest at all times with my boys, and the one thing i told him was that he was NOT allowed to talk to his little brother about this stuff. they're 2.5 years apart and have a typical brotherly relationship; violence is a daily event. but he hasn't spoken of it.