Being the father of a 10-year old girl has been one of the joys of life. It is never easy, but always joyful. One of those joys has been participating in the fantasy world of fairies, unicorns, princesses and ghosts. She loves them all.

She also believes in all the great childhood legends – Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. And I never discourage her.

I used to be some one who was skeptical of keeping those traditions alive but then I thought about it?

Why do they exist?

What purpose do they serve?

Why do children believe in them so ADAMANTLY?

They exist because humans need stories and legends to understand the world. The world is black and white to them. Right and wrong. Good guys and bad guys. Aveline will always ask me “Is he a good guy?”, “Is she the bad guy?”

The world is so massive. There is so much to know. The myths and legends that represent our feasts and festivals help us put order into the year. Children need ways to understand the world.

Santa, the Easter bunny, and the Tooth Fairy help children comprehend their surroundings. Unicorns symbolize well-behaved young girls. They also aid children in understanding the world.

Another part of this is the creativity. Having belief in things is more important to me now as I get older. The material world and the empirical sciences will come. But understanding in the spirit world, and the other worldly will help too.

We have gotten rid of so much of the spiritual world from our Western Tradition. I often think at what cost? What do need these symbols and myths for?

I don’t claim to know. So I am going to keep those traditions going on for as long as I can. Aveline needs a connection to the spirit, fairy, and unicorns of the world. These connections I hope will allow her imagination to soar. It helps her believe in her own spirit, imagination, and ability to do anything… just like her Fairy Godmother does for her today.