It has been a long, cold, snowy winter - and with no skiing to make the season fun, give the cold weather purpose and give our bodies a break from the indoors - it has felt long and cold and snowy. Now that blessed spring has arrived we are outside, getting fresh air, stretching our legs and using our imaginations afresh and it is magical.
Belen loves fairies right now - is fascinated by the whole idea of fairies.
The other day she and her friend Morgan made pixie dust for themselves, and for the boys - Jack and Connor - they all ran around the backyard playing with it, sprinkling it over themselves, imagining they could fly and make the flowers grow and all sorts of wonderful things. In the end there was glitter everywhere, including caked on everyone's scalp in a sparkly glow. It was hilarious (but only because the glitter came out in the bath so easily).
Today she decided to make wings - I helped her - ok she had the idea and gathered the supplies, then mandated I execute half of the project. Here she is in her lovely wings.
flying
After "flying" around the yard for a bit she said to me, "I wish I were a real fairy. Wouldn't it be cool to be so small and be able to fly and stuff?" We talked about fairies for a while, imagined what kind she would be, etc. It reminded me of myself at her age. I loved unicorns - was so fascinated by them, created in my imagination an entire world - Unicorn Land, naturally - and a scenario where I would go through a secret door each night to this wondrous place to frolic with unicorns. In my mind I can still see the meadow where I would arrive on my flying unicorn, the herd of fantastical beauties there to greet us. I wished and hoped so deeply that it were real, but knew down deeper that it was not. I see my Belen having this battle in her mind and heart right now. Last week she said to me, "I think you're the Easter Bunny... aren't you?" A few days later she lost a tooth - front tooth #2...
(it's been a loooong time comin - this one has been loose for 6 weeks and she has favored it and tried her darndest not to wiggle it or let her parents touch it. then one night she just knocked it with her hand and pop! out it came - it bled and bled - made her teeth all red, she was tough and handled it all by herself)
...as we put it under her pillow for the Tooth Fairy, she started connecting the dots. That night cuddling she said to me, "you can't be Santa though, right? He's real isn't he?"
I am so torn! I don't want lie to my child's face nor force the fantasy, but I also don't want her to grow up, I don't want the entire world of magical creatures, characters and symbols to come crashing down in one fell swoop!
But I suppose that is the whole point of this principle... life is magical - in all its mundane, day to day reality - life is magical and a child's imagination is a beautiful way to spend an afternoon.
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