Photo Credit: © Can Stock Photo / Lopolo
From the moment he was born, he was a gentle kid. He was the first child for his mom and dad, so he was extra coddled; he was pretty much the star of the show at every holiday and event—passed around for hugs from grandparent to grandparent, uncle to aunt. He had a million toys and stuffed animals from everyone who came through the door. Sure, he was spoiled but he was surrounded by love—how could that be wrong?
When his sister showed up a few years later, everyone made sure he wasn’t feeling any animosity towards her, so if she had a birthday, he received a few gifts too. Grandma was especially adept at this. Since the younger sibling firmly believed in Santa Claus, it was best that the older brother still did, too, so as not to ruin it for her. This meant that when she was two and he was five, they both believed. It also meant that when she was five and he was eight, and she still believed, he did too. So, he might tell his friends that the Tooth Fairy left him $5 last night.
The Dividing Line
And then things started getting difficult. Many of the boys at school stopped “believing” in such things by the time they were eight, so in order to boast their emerging prowess, they needed to mock and tease those who had not stepped up to their level of maturity. A dividing line develops at that age—those who hold on to more childish things and those who don’t.