I tend to offer up family games and activities on Fridays, but today I’m just going to talk a little bit about fairies.

My 8 year old has a long standing love affair with the Tooth Fairy and all other fairies out there. She has written many sweet notes to the Tooth Fairy, and the Tooth Fairy has always written back. As a result, she thinks that fairies are all around – living in tree stumps and under leaves and visiting her in the middle of the night (looking in her bedroom window). In our front yard, we have a row of trees between our house and the neighbor’s house, and this is her special forest where she plays and imagines and communes with nature. I am certain she believes the fairies are in the forest with her.

But, she’s 8, so that means she’s also starting to doubt.

The other night she said, “I haven’t heard from the Tooth Fairy for a long time. I think I will write her a note.” Which she did. She added, “I am going to write the Tooth Fairy a note every night.”

In teeny tiny handwriting, a new fairy* – not the Tooth Fairy – wrote a very charming and silly note about how much she loves living in and around our yard and singing to the girls when they go to bed, but, the fairy explained, she was heading to Canada because it’s lawnmower season, and she and the other flower fairies are afraid of lawnmowers.

* not me.

When I tell you the content of the note, perhaps it’s not surprising that my daughter is a little upset that the fairies are leaving, and has been for the past couple of days.

So, there’s  no resolution to this issue, yet. I am guessing the flower fairies are going to send postcards or little notes saying that Canada is a nice safe place during the day, but perhaps they can come for visits at night. Right? Or on days when there’s no need to mow the lawn?

I was the youngest of five kids, and I don’t really remember ever believing in Santa Claus, though I am sure I did. I have no recollection of learning the truth or being upset. So, I’ve been biding my time, wondering how my daughter will react and whether all of those innocent beliefs – in Santa, the Easter Bunny, fairies – will collapse like dominoes all at the same time. She can be sensitive – she has got the sweetest little gentle soul – so I do worry a little.

Does anyone want to share their own stories?

The photos are fairies that Elena decided to make the other day, before getting any notes from the flower fairy. The girl fairy is the Fairy Queen and the boy fairy (below) is the Fairy King.

Happy Holiday weekend to you. Hope to see you back here on Tuesday.