I feel awful! I broke my daughters heart this morning then sent her off to school. I suck.
My daughter has been building Leprechaun traps since she was in kindergarten. They did it as a project and it continued in the next two grades until we moved to New Mexico. My daughter continued to design her traps on her own. Last year I accidentally threw away part of her trap cuz I thought it was trash. I felt bad but all was forgiven.
This year she came up with a trap door trap. She stood one of her dolls on the top of a box as the lure and when the little fella came to see what was in her bag he would fall into the box through the trap door. Very cute huh? So before I went to bed I saw this trap sitting out in the middle of the floor and figured I'd have a little fun with her. I went and got some string and tied a series of knots in it. Then I pulled the trap door out through the top and placed the string over the side. It was supposed to look like he had climbed out using this string. This is the first time I've ever messed with one of her traps.
This morning she came out and looked at her trap. She was so excited! She thought the little devil had escaped! She talked about teaching her little brother how to build traps, and how it could be a thing the two of them could do together. Then she decided she was going to take the string to school to show the kids and tell them her story. Here is where I start feeling awful. She has had a tough time making friends at her new school. I didn't think she really believed in leprechauns! I just thought it was a fun thing to do each year! Should I let her believe and tell her story to the kids at school? Will they think she is a freak? I don't want that to happen! She is one of the sweetest girls you'll ever meet but she is a dreamer. She has an imagination that pops up in real life. I don't want the kids to label her as weird! Do I tell her the truth? Break her heart to keep the kids from doing it.
As we walked down the drive way to wait for the bus I broke it to her. She started to cry. Then she said," If I teach Aidan to build leprechaun traps I'll be lying to him huh." My heart sunk. I got her to stop crying and told her how sorry I was. I told her I didn't know she really believed and thought she would catch on to what I did. We agreed that we could still carry on the tradition she could try to fool me each year. She liked that idea. "A few stray tears" came a little later she said she was ok though. Then she got on the bus. I tried to distract her but it was really too late. I ruined her day. Did I mention that I suck?
What am I going to do about Santa? That will CRUSH her! She is sensitive and obviously naive but the sweetest thing ever. What am I going to do? I can hope that this experience will make her question the big guy, but is she gonna feel betrayed? She didn't want to lie to her brother so will she think we are liars? I suck. I suck. I suck.
11 comments:
Aww, this made me cry too. Because Leprechauns do exist! They do!
I think kids need to have some fantasy. Don't beat yourself over the head too much. Next time she builds a trap...Leave it alone! How old is your daughter? If she is just 5 or 6 then it's OK for her to dream a little.. If she is 14 or 15 then that's a different story. She will find out soon enough that Santa has many helpers.
As parents we will screw up occassionally, we aren't perfect. Chalk this one down as a "Don't do that again" lesson.
What do you mean what do I do about Santa?!? What's wrong with Santa? He's okay isn't he? He'll still come to my house won't he?
Gabby- I broke it to her as easy as I could!
Tim- I'm sorry. Here's a tissue.
Lucy-She will be 10 in two months!
RainyPete-I'm sure he will be right on time.
LBB- Thank you. I needed that.
You don't suck, I think you did the right thing. You had good intentions.
I was really cross with my parents because I'd sussed there was no Santa and they kept on and on trying to convince me that he existed. She may be sad now, but I think like you say you've done her a favour in the long run with school.
A friend of mine got told there was no Santa, and promptly went and told his 4 year old sister - apparently she cried for days! At least she heard from you.
What do ya mean there's no such thing as leprechauns????? I'm Irish I tell ya!;)
Seriously, you do not suck. You just had a rough morning. You're a good mom.....all the junk falls on us you know? Me, I have so much guilt, I just made into a fashionable belt. Had to do something with it;)
The innocence of children is so precious to us....and that's as it should be. Be grateful that some snotty kid at school didn't get to say something nasty AND break her heart. And only a good mom would care.
My parents never told me the truth about Santa.... they let me figure it out on my own. I had a wild imagination as a child, and as you get older, you start knowing that there's really no fat man climbing down the chimminey. I'm glad they never told me, because I was never upset over the nonexistance of him, the dream of "Santa" and all that magic that goes with will one day be passed on to my children, and I don't think I'd feel the same if my parents broke it to me before I was ready. I don't think you should tell her that there's no Santa, I'm glad my parents didn't. I stopped "going to see Santa," when I was about 9, so you don't have to worry about what Gabby said, a 20-year-old visiting Santa.
Yes, you do suck!
But in a really, really good way! ;)
I have no idea how to even brouch this thing with her....
Has your daughter forgiven you yet?
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