Sunday, March 1, 2009

Fairy Magic & Interaction

One of the best things about being a Princess is watching the kids I meet and interact with bloom into the experience.

Last weekend I was a Woodland Fairy for a big group of kids, many of whom had special needs. I always bring a really wide range of activities and different things to do for this kind of party - you never know what kids are going to respond to, and this is even more true with special needs kids.

It was a 3-hour booking so I had lots of time to get to know the kids. Some were VERY excited and interacting the whole time, and some were a little more wary and just spent their time watching what we were doing, with interest. I like doing longer parties because the pace can be more relaxed and I can really get in to each activity with the kids and explore it fully.. and for this group, a longer time frame worked really well since these kids took a little longer than most to get used to each new thing.

At the end of the party, I was approached by the mom of one of the special needs kids and she pointed something out to me.. after 2.5 hours of watching and a tiny bit of participation, her daughter was fully engaged with the other kids, playing an active game with all her heart, soul, and energy, and giggling and interacting and basically having the time of her life!

At first, I thought nothing of it except "oh look, she finally warmed up, good.." but her mom told me that in all her 5 years this was the FIRST time she'd ever seen her interact with other kids on this level! This little girl was experiencing the fun and abandon of playing fully with her peers for the very first time, and the smile on her face (and on her Mom's face!) almost brought me to tears.

What a wonderful gift - for the mom, for the little girl most especially, and also for me. It makes me feel SO good to be able to bring fun, happy experiences to all kinds of kids. I am so grateful for the opportunities like this that come from making kids happy!

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