The Tissue Fairy

Yesterday, after running around the house with a wad of Kleenex in his hand, BJ informed me that we would be getting a visit from the Tissue Fairy. Here's what happens: you put a crumpled tissue under your pillow, go to sleep, and when you're sleeping the Tissue Fairy comes and takes the tissue and leaves you a present!

And no, we've not been making a big deal about the Tooth Fairy! I'm sure that's where he got the idea, of course (that or he's got one heckuva connection to the collective unconscious) but he must have heard about it at preschool or something. Boy, was he in earnest about it.

So S and I were faced with a dilemma after the kids went to bed. Should we enact the visit from said Tissue Fairy? What if BJ then decides the Tissue Fairy should visit every night? And if we did decide to make good, what "present" should we leave?

Not wanting to pass up a chance at a little childhood magic, of course I decided to make little heart shaped notes that said, "Thank you for the tissue! The Tissue Fairy Loves You!" I figured this can be replicated without too much trouble. And I was glad to see this morning that apparently they met BJ's exacting standards. He was totally excited about his note and wanted to wake up BB to see if she had one too. (Of course this was the one morning that he got up at 6:30 am and she got up an hour later!) Pretty endearing to see his enthusiasm when he helped BB find hers.

I did drop the ball a little bit though -- by not realizing he'd also put tissues underneath my pillow and S's pillow. He wanted to know where our notes were! I passed it off with a hasty explanation that perhaps the Tissue Fairy had run out of notes: "That happens sometimes, you know. And when that happens, she always wants to make sure the kids get notes first. Which is why you kids got ones but Mommy and Daddy didn't." He bought it, after a moment's hesitation. But apparently I will now need to be checking beneath the household pillows, including my own, to see if the Tissue Fairy will be coming for a visit. I've told him that she won't always come, just in case I miss something, but I figure it will be fun to make this little bit of magic real for him. It's even got me thinking about buying a fairy door. Perhaps this one!