Fairies and their Husbands

Blue husband and baby


Pink husband and baby


Pink Fairy


Blue Fairy


The project tonight was Fairy Families. M and her friend each made a fairy family and glued them on sticks. The whole time they were creating them, they were narrating the story, like "how about the husbands are friends with each other". I was cracking up listening to them, but they were all business, madly coloring and creating.
Today M asked me in the car if I thought fairies and gnomes and Santa Claus existed, and if there are people who don't and why. All I could think to say is "yes, I believe in all those things because I have seen the magic". And truly, I do believe that. She had an older friend over recently who told her Santa Claus does not exist. This was troubling to her for obvious reasons. Today driving around town talking about this, we came to the conclusion that if you don't believe in Santa, then he does not come to your house, and that is just fine. She seemed perfectly content with that, and Santa seems so real to her this holiday it makes me burst with excitement. I feel sad already for the time when that magic passes and fiercely possessive about keeping it alive for her. I already thought of how to have a conversation with the parents of the little Santa non-believer before she comes over again. Magic is so integral in these young children's lives. Especially when so much around them is destroying that at an earlier and earlier age. Since being in Waldorf kindergarten, M's propensity for fairies, gnomes and magic has really blossomed. She is surrounded by it five days a week. It seems such a bitter pill to swallow going to other kindergartens and seeing the academic dogma being fed to these young, creative, imaginative souls.
Yesterday M cleaned my room. She asked me if it was ok if she made my bed. Later, I walked in and she had made my bed, folded a blanket and arranged the pillows perfectly. She had placed her prized rose she found on the kindergarten playground beside my pillow. I know why she did this; Dusty Gnome from school inspired her to. Dusty is a little gnome that assigns children their clean-up tasks in kindergarten, and that magical inspiration is what has behind her willingness to help around the house more and foster feelings of accomplishment. It is a gift that has unending gratitude from my heart that my child is getting a gift that will last her a lifetime, and inspire me to always keep it alive too.