“We call them faerie. We don’t believe in them. Our loss.” ~Charles de Lin
I didn’t think about fairies when I was a child even though I was outside all the time. By today’s standards, I had a pretty boring childhood. Looking back, I was so lucky.
My parents didn’t program my days and there wasn’t much for me to do or many kids nearby to play with, so I did what little kids did back in the 70s. I rode my bike around endlessly, explored the local woods by myself, and laid around in the backyard looking up at the clouds for hours. We even lived briefly on a small, muddy lake. My folks let me take our rickety row boat out by myself. I’d row around, watching the dragonflies buzz in the reeds and turtles sunning themselves on logs sticking out of the water. I didn’t look for fairies, but I did catch shiny bluegills with balls of white bread and an old fishing pole I found in the garage. I’d always throw them back in. I understood the inherent value of the natural world because I had daily close-up experiences with the sweetness, the peace, the beauty, and the joy of it.
I understood the inherent value of the natural world because of my daily close-up experiences with the sweetness, the peace, the beauty, and the joy of it.
My children have had very different childhoods. All of our children do, mostly. And that is where the fairies come in. Fairies, to me, are the very spirit of Nature itself. Humans personify Nature to understand it and give it a more personal meaning. Those of us in the Western world could use some curiosity and interest in Nature — and more of a personal relationship with it too, for our own well-being and for the good of this planet we live on. Every time I turn around, there is more Nature plowed down and more “progress” on the way, generally in the form of big box stores and subdivisions. This week I was laid low when I read about the planned fracking under our Ohio State Parks.
So please, send your child outside before they end up with the disease Richard Louv calls “nature-deficit disorder” in his book Last Child Left in the Woods. In my experience as a Waldorf teacher, children are so much happier when they’ve spent time outside, no matter the weather. It is proven that spending green time outside reduces symptoms of ADHD, illness, and depression significantly more than doing the exact same activities inside across a wide range of settings.
Is it fairy exposure? Maybe. Or is it just Nature itself, working the magic?
A few of Louv’s suggestions in his great follow-up book, Vitamin N, The Essential Guide to Living a Nature-Rich Life are pretty easy to take on and might make your parenting life easier too. Who doesn’t want that? Here are a few of his suggestions:
Meet up with other families at a friendly park. Simple as that. The kids can run around and play under the trees and you let them. If there is a hiking trail then you can all go for a walk through the woods — send the older kids out front as scouts. Let the littles take their time. If the groups get too far apart and you get worried, send one parent off to follow the big kids. I see families trying to meet at coffee shops all the time and it doesn’t go well. The kids are bouncing off the walls and the adults try to keep them busy by handing them a phone… we’re all guilty. Why not meet where the kids can keep themselves busy and happy?
Hold a holiday or a family celebration outside. Why not meet at a park or a picnic shelter like the family in my Jemi Stories did in my April Eight Songs & Stories Podcast, instead of in the house or apartment? Even if your party gets rained out, there could be something magical that happens. Rain is a joy if you let it be one.
Plan a nature adventure when you travel for a holiday. Whenever my family visits my mother for Thanksgiving, we get up and take a long hike in a nearby celery bog before the cooking begins. As my kids have turned into young adults, these little rituals become more important to them.
Spending time in Nature is also relaxing; we all know we need more. So let your children frolic and play in the great green diamond that is the natural world we live in. And if they meet a fairy, all the better, right? You can call nature’s magic whatever you want.
I do believe in fairies now. I write their stories.
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity for the human spirit.”~Edward Abbey
For my Supporting Subscribers who make this all possible, I have a sweet printable fairy puppet for you. See below.
I know I keep promising Mookie, but then I work on it and there’s more to do… I know you’ve waited a long time.
You can support these songs and stories by becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter, inviting me to tell stories and sing songs and make puppets in your town, adding my songs to your playlists, and sharing the April Eight Songs & Stories podcast, website, and newsletter with folks who will enjoy it.