Fairy Dust Fever

"Fairy Dust," a.k.a. glitter

As a little girl, I absolutely loved glitter. Seeing glitter automatically brought to mind images of fairies, magic, and pretty princesses of faraway lands. It could take the dullest of art projects and turn them into beautiful masterpieces (in my young mind). Nevertheless, now that I’m an adult, I have learned the unpleasant--almost evil--side of this art supply.

My daughter has been a fairy and princess fanatic since she was a tiny toddler. Anything pink, purple, and sparkly quickly catches her eye and captures her fancy. In her world, these are the things that spread happiness to one and all . . . but when her world and mine collided two summers ago, there were some very unhappy campers!

One dreary, rainy weekend, I was busy as ever, trying to get my household chores finished before another hectic week started. My son and daughter (then 4 and 3) were moping around the house, disappointed that the rain was interrupting our plans to go to the playground. I tried to cheer them up, but not even their favorite ice cream with sprinkles improved their moods any.