I remember at about 8 years old being told by cousins that Santa was not real. I considered it unlikely that something my parents had been telling me would be untrue and argued as such. As it became clear that they were right and there was no Santa, my recollection is I became angry at my parents. I don’t have a high degree of trust in these recollections as I also remember believing that I never lied to my parents before the age of 4 years old and I remember being punished for lying when I was telling the truth and being totally outraged. As a parent of three children, it is simply not plausible to me anymore that I actually did not lie to my parents before I was 4. So I generally don’t trust a lot of detail of recollections about my parents, lying, and my own personal disapproval or anger.
I remember at about 8 years old being told by cousins that Santa was not real. I considered it unlikely that something my parents had been telling me would be untrue and argued as such. As it became clear that they were right and there was no Santa, my recollection is I became angry at my parents. I don’t have a high degree of trust in these recollections as I also remember believing that I never lied to my parents before the age of 4 years old and I remember being punished for lying when I was telling the truth and being totally outraged. As a parent of three children, it is simply not plausible to me anymore that I actually did not lie to my parents before I was 4. So I generally don’t trust a lot of detail of recollections about my parents, lying, and my own personal disapproval or anger.