Fairy Dust...

Like all kids, Lewie has an active imagination, especially at night.  Starting as early as age two, he'd be worried about open closets, large shadows, and mysterious noises inside or outside the house.  At age three, he'd be worried about one more thing--bad dreams.

I often wonder why kids have nightmares or night terrors.  (There's a difference; you can read about them here.)  Evidently, it sounds like they can become worse in preschool, and even such anxieties like starting kindergarten can be a cause for them.  My little boy has a tendency to dream about ghosts, witches, and all around scary stuff, which has been a reason for me to reduce his intake of Scooby Doo.    I have to say that since his fascination with Scooby Doo has been replaced by Thomas the Train, he appears to have less scary dreams--a major plus for Thomas to say the least.

One night, when Lewie was nearing age three, he had a bad dream and was inconsolable.  He insisted on going to bed with Mommy and Daddy, and if this couldn't happen, then he wanted to go downstairs to watch cartoons instead.  Being very tired and worried about another long day at work, I was desperate to get my little boy back to sleep without bringing him into our cramped queen bed.  I brainstormed, and then it hit me...my fairy dust.

Years ago, I bought fairy dust, a very light, shimmery powder, at a Renaissance Fair.  I'd use it on my skin and around my eyes if I was going out dancing, but now that my dancing days had expired, I had no use for the powder...

"Lewie, I have something that will give you good dreams," I said enthusiastically.  "It's a very special secret.  Do you want to see it?"

Of course, Lewie wanted to see it.  What kid can resist a secret?

I told him to wait in his bedroom as I fumbled for it in the bathroom.  When I finally reentered his bedroom, I let him watch me take it out of a soft, navy blue, velvet pouch.  "When I want to have good dreams, I just put a little fairy dust on my wrists and forehead," I said, "then I think about things that make me happy."

Well, Lewie didn't just want the fairy dust on his wrists and forehead.  He wanted me to sprinkle it on his pillow, put some on his palms, and of course, he wanted to touch it for himself.  I must say the fairy dust does look and feel pretty magical.

That night, he slept "like a baby" (no pun intended), and now, to this day, we still use it to ward off bad dreams.  Sometimes he asks for it before he goes to bed, and sometimes he doesn't remember to ask for it until after he's woken up from a bad dream.  The only thing I can say is that my fairy dust does the trick.  It brings happy thoughts and peace to my little boy, so I plan to use it for as long as he will let me...

"Mommy, can you put some fairy dust on me?" my little guy asks tonight before we start his bedtime ritual of bedtime stories and a prayer.

"I sure can, my Little Lewie.  I sure can..."

I wish I had fairy dust when I was younger to ward off all of my bad dreams...

Who knew this little jar could have medicinal properties like drinking Chamomile tea before bed?