"Are they real?"

[Stefien Quix]

This is a frequent question from my DD, and I'm not sure how I want to answer it. In situations where I want to reduce the anxiety of a situation (like a haunted house) I'll usually explain how it's not real. But in situations where she's seeing say, Princess Ariel and asks me, "Is it really her?" I'm not sure what I want to say. DW suggests flipping the question back on her with "What do you think?" and letting her decide.

On the one hand, I don't want to destroy the magic, but on the other, I have real issues lying to her. For example, when we go visit Santa Claus, he's one of Santa's helpers, not the real Santa. This also helps with some of the, shall we say, sloppily disguised Santa Claus's.

How do you all handle this or similar questions?

 

[DaddysPrincess]

I don't have kids but I often wonder how I'll handle these things.
As for the princesses, technically, they are real. In fact, more real than the ones in the movies. I would also reiterate that all women & girls are princesses

 

[Stefien Quix]

I don't have kids but I often wonder how I'll handle these things.
As for the princesses, technically, they are real. In fact, more real than the ones in the movies. I would also reiterate that all women & girls are princesses

Y'know, you make an excellent point!

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I always do the "What do you think" thing. The child will tell you what they need to hear when they answer the question.

My DD never believed that the characters were the real thing, probably because she saw Dora the Explorer when she was about 3, took one look at her, and said, "That's not Dora! Dora is little like me!." Ditto for Mickey and the Gang. She never had a problem believing in holiday characters though, and she believed a little longer than expected (mostly because Santa managed to get into our hotel room at Disney when she was 8 with toys we didn't bring with us). She also always had fun meeting the princesses and other characters, even though she knew they were regular people in costume.

 

[YesterDark]

I always say yes. Even the scary stuff, because it's funny.

 

[DaddysPrincess]

I always say yes. Even the scary stuff, because it's funny.

Ik this is bad but I found myself quite amused at the reactions from kids at the haunted mansion

 

[Stefien Quix]

I always say yes. Even the scary stuff, because it's funny.

Ik this is bad but I found myself quite amused at the reactions from kids at the haunted mansion

Ya'll are awful. I've already made my DD watch a video of Haunted Mansion several times explaining how it's 'not real' because it's literally the only way I have any chance of getting her on that ride.

 

[Thing 1]

My guys never believed the characters were real. We never really told them and I guess it never really occurred to us that they really would think they were real. They did believe the tooth fairy, Easter Bunny etc. either. The point is, they still loved WDW. We have done almost every character meal and have tones of precious pictures. My youngest made a comment that that person in there must be really hot at a really young age.
I agree to ask her what she thinks. I also have used with kids at my school, “ only you can decide if you think they are real”. If they are asking, they probably have it figured out.

 

[Ben E N]

I pull the "what do you think?" Line as well. My wife likes to roll with feeding our daughter's imagination, but I love seeing her problem solving skills at work.
When we were heading to Soarin a couple of weeks ago, she asked if we really flew (she's presently 5). When I asked her what she thought, she said no because we wouldn't be able to get around that quickly, and the building that holds the ride isn't all that big. I confirmed that she was correct, and loved showing her the mechanics of the ride as we loaded. She still enjoyed it greatly, even knowing it was just a simulator.

 

[Stefien Quix]

My guys never believed the characters were real. We never really told them and I guess it never really occurred to us that they really would think they were real. They did believe the tooth fairy, Easter Bunny etc. either. The point is, they still loved WDW. We have done almost every character meal and have tones of precious pictures. My youngest made a comment that that person in there must be really hot at a really young age.
I agree to ask her what she thinks. I also have used with kids at my school, “ only you can decide if you think they are real”. If they are asking, they probably have it figured out.

At least in DD's case, I don't think that's true. She's honestly unsure and looking to us to help her decide. But I agree with @Ben E N , in many cases, letting them decide for themselves let's them engage their critical thinking and try to figure out a) if they WANT to believe it's real or not and b) if not, what they think it might really be.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I used to tell my children (and DGD) they were real to the author enough so that she or he were able to bring them to life for the rest of us.
Doesn't stop the questions but might inspire new ones that provide a greater depth.

 

[YesterDark]

Even when I say yes, my kids love to prove me wrong and catch me in a "you're just kidding" moment. I always reply with a "Are you sure?" which leaves them a bit unsure.

 

[CT Disney]

Pretty sure there’s only one response to this question:

 

[YesterDark]

That's the first thing I thought about.

 

[KenHutch]

When my daughter was 7 she asked me that question as we were in the line for Ariel. When we got to her I asked "are you real?" She looked at my daughter and replied "I am here I must be real". I believe in letting them have the magic. they are little only for awhile.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

We exposed DD to the idea that "magic is an illusion until you know the science behind it" very early on. So she wasn't scared a bit of Haunted Mansion or Pirates or anything of that nature, because, Imagineers created it!

We watch a lot of Penn and Teller and other types of magicians. The answer to a lot of her questions is, "SCIENCE!" and then we find an age-appropriate answer.

I think she knows that there are people inside the costumes, she was a little startled at the first hug of Tigger because the friend inside obviously has fingers inside their suit that you can feel, and not rubber-hose limbs like the cartoon portrays. But I stick with the idea that they are real, so that we can pretend and have a great time. Why not indulge in a little light-hearted silliness that brings a smile to your face?

 

[Mjtheprincess]

I always tell littles that there's magic in disney and anything is possible! I've been with older nieces and nephews before, and always tell them they're as real as you believe they are. I personally want any little I go to disney with to embrace the magic for as long as possible!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I think it really depends on the situation and the age of the child. For HM, I waited until DS was 9 to even attempt to take him on the ride. By that time, he knew the characters at WDW weren't real, so I just kept saying over and over, "this is pretend, this is pretend, this is pretend". When it came to the characters, he figured it out on his own after going to a sporting event near our home and seeing one of the mascots taking a break with his big furry head off. After that incident, we were walking around EP and he saw Belle and broke it to me that she wasn't really Belle. I just started laughing - he really thought he was telling me something I didn't already know - it was pretty cute. When it comes to Santa, well, he still kind of believes and I throw the "what do you think" thing back at him.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Well, back in 2015 Elsa and Anna came to visit our older daughter of our 2 younger ones on her 4th birthday. They played games, told stories, painted the girls nails, blew bubbles and ate with them. When we took them for their first visit to WDW in 2016 we were informed that Elsa and Anna moved to Disney by our girls. They think they are real and I won't spoil the magic. These are pics form 2015 when they came to visit.

 

[robinb]

My DD always knew they were not real. We never did Santa so there was no problem continuing that lie while telling the truth about Disney characters and rides.