A sprinkle of magic

by Flamingo

This piece is inspired by all the kids in my life. A number of people asked me during my career, why don’t I teach older kids and teens. “They’re much easier,” they said. “It’s less work and less stress”. And my answer is always the same. There is no more magic. There is no more innocence. I am like that witch in the forest living in a gingerbread house, I like them young and sweet. I feed on their magic, on their beliefs, on their love and cuteness. The child in me is very happy and well nourished. Joking aside, the magic of young children really inspires me, inspires my lifestyle and the way I educate my child.

A couple of weeks ago, some of my 7 year old girls were having a conversation about magic and how much magic really does exist in the world and how much of it is just a fairytale. “I don’t think the Tooth Fairy really exists, I think that’s a made up story for the little ones”, scoffs one of them really pleased with herself by her maturity. “I think so, too,” agrees her friend. “Unicorns as well, I have never seen one. Have you?” “No, I haven’t. Unicorns are from fairytales. But for sure fairies exist!”. “Yes! Forest fairies especially, they are very real, aren’t they Miss A?”

I was taken by surprise by their trail of thought and ended up agreeing vehemently with whatever conclusions they came to. “Elves are real too! I’m sure I’ve seen one once. But unicorns are definitely not.” They seemed very happy with the outcome of the conversation, but left me wondering about how magic works in their minds and the need to believe. 

My son is 8 now, knows all things and how they work. He definitely doesn’t believe in magic, or so he says. Santa is magic though, his reindeers are magic, his sleigh and his workshop, his elves. “How does that work, if you don’t think magic exists?” I asked him once. He is convinced that he saw a sliver of red last Christmas Eve next to our apartment, so he believes what he sees and is convinced that Santa exists. He knows that some people have a Baby Jesus deliver presents, and some the Christmas goat and others don’t believe at all. “That’s ok”, he says, “because magic works in different ways for everybody.” “So, you do believe in magic!” “Only a tiny bit…”.

I myself was a child that liked to believe, in spite of all the adults around me. I am still an adult that likes to believe. Maybe that’s why I love going to magical places like Disneyland so much, because there, I have a great excuse to activate my suspension of disbelief. There, anything is possible, the characters are very real to me, the magic is very real to me, I love to live in their stories. 

Christmas time, Halloween time, Easter time or any other celebration that gives me an excuse for stories and a little bit of magic is welcomed in my home. It makes me happier and more balanced, if I am allowed to access that part of me that loves magic. I personally think everybody needs a sprinkle of magic from time to time, some more than others for sure. Connecting with our inner child, with the innocence and the imagination of anything possible, makes us functioning adults in a world that it’s not always pretty.

I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year with a sprinkle of magic on top!

Picture from Flamingo‘s archive.