Catching the Leprechaun

I read a blog post the other day written by a mom who was requesting that other moms and teachers take the holidays "down a notch." I have to say it really struck a chord with me. I don't remember celebrating St. Patrick's Day at all as a kid (and I turned out fine). Yeah that's what they all say, but seriously, when did everything turn into a big celebration complete with imaginary beings, candy, and toys?

I will admit I was prepared and even a little excited to dress them in green, but I was not prepared for Z to wake up and "set a trap" for the leprechaun. (I have no idea where he even got that idea from!) But, of course because he set the trap, I felt compelled to write a note "from the leprechaun" and leave candy. I did these things because I felt like I needed to preserve the "magic" and more importantly prevent disappointment that his trap was set for nothing.

 

I have to admit they were really excited when they first saw it, and I was feeling like a genius until... Z gets this sad look on his face and tells me he really wanted to catch the leprechaun. So never mind the candy and the clever note, now we are supposed to catch the thing, and what would that even look like?!

Anyway, it got me thinking maybe by going along with these things, we are just setting kids up for disappointment when the find out they (the leprechaun, tooth fairy, etc.) don't exist. Wouldn't it just be better to tell the truth from the beginning? That mom bought you some treats to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

I explained to him that no one catches the leprechaun, and he seemed to accept that. But, then a little later he examined his loot and asked, "Why does this say Easter Nerds Rope?"    Dang literacy!

The older I get, the more I feel that childhood innocence is fleeting and that I want to preserve it for as long as possible. But what I am realizing is that childhood innocence is not in imaginary things like tooth fairies and leprechauns. It's in little moments, like playing pretend, finding joy in simply drawing or coloring, or laughing over words like "diaper" or "underwear" (although we discourage that last one).

I think what I'm trying to say is that my goal in raising my kids (and I think I speak for Nick and myself) is to strike a balance between "believing" and being honest and preparing them for the realities of life.

In the meantime, maybe I will "take it down a notch,"  because who has time to make crafts for Columbus Day?!