Can We Please Stop Trying to Make Everything So Magical?

home insemination Kit

Earlier this year, on St. Patrick’s Day morning, I went about our typical routine with only a few slight tweaks. I assisted my son in getting dressed, deliberately choosing a green shirt. That was the extent of my effort.

After dropping him off at school and returning home, I logged online. And what did I find? Pictures of kitchens with chairs overturned and cabinet doors ajar, living rooms strewn with shoes and books, and empty, homemade “traps.” Bathrooms adorned with toilet paper streamers. It resembled my own home on a casual Wednesday, but no, this wasn’t just a case of poor housekeeping. It was leprechauns at work.

Suddenly, it dawned on me that some of my son’s classmates would be sharing tales of how a leprechaun had visited their homes overnight and made a delightful mess—because that’s what these tiny, mythical Irish creatures do. They wreak havoc, leaving behind chocolate coins and special edition boxes of Lucky Charms.

I felt a deep sense of betrayal from my fellow parents. They had abandoned me once again to a world that is constantly and unnecessarily striving to become more magical.

I really can’t understand this urge some parents have. St. Patrick’s Day is about wearing all the green garb you can find, maybe enjoying corned beef and cabbage, and perhaps sipping on a Guinness or two. We used to do small things like adding green food dye to dinner, but when we realized that turning food green guaranteed our kids wouldn’t touch it, we gave up. Meanwhile, other parents took this to an even greener, more tiresome level.

I tolerated this nonsense for various holidays, but eventually, everyone has their breaking point. One year, my son is going to come home and ask why a leprechaun visits Billy’s house every year but not ours.

“Leprechauns aren’t real, and Billy’s parents are total fibbers. Now eat your green eggs.”

This is a ridiculous charade I refuse to partake in, along with the many ways parents are trying to elevate things that are already magical.

Let’s start with Christmas:

We’ve got a jolly man in a red suit who slides down chimneys, delivering presents around the world in a flying sleigh pulled by reindeer. Verdict: NOT ENOUGH MAGIC. Enter the creepy Elf on the Shelf who watches our kids for a month and has to be relocated each night to maintain the illusion of being alive. Let’s also sprinkle powdered sugar around boots to create a trail from the fireplace to the tree, despite the fact that Santa already left gifts and devoured our cookies.

Now consider losing a tooth:

You place it under your pillow and wake up to a few coins or some cash left by a fairy. Verdict: NEEDS MORE MAGIC. Add glitter all over the floor as fairy dust—great, now we’re vacuuming that out for months. Leave a note from the Tooth Fairy emphasizing dental hygiene. Instead of a dollar, let’s leave an entire toy, so our child feels $27 worth of affection instead of just $1.

And Easter:

A rabbit hides eggs while we sleep—no one really knows why. Inside those eggs are candies, which we collect in baskets filled with fake grass. Verdict: NO MAGIC WITH THIS EGG-LAYING BUNNY. Let’s make all the food look like tiny bunny faces or backsides. Fill a field with plastic eggs so kids can trample each other gathering them rather than actually searching for hidden ones. And let’s treat Easter like a second Christmas with presents galore.

Thanksgiving has remained relatively untouched, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Pinterest inundates me with images of stuffed pilgrims observing children before the Great Turkey’s sacrifice. If they misbehave in November, the pilgrim gives them smallpox.

Life is inherently magical—just look around! You are alive, and with a little mindfulness, you can uncover countless ways to experience magic without needing glitter or chocolate. Instead of conditioning our kids to always expect grand spectacles, let’s teach them to appreciate the beauty around them. It’s already pretty damn magical.

For more insights on navigating parenting challenges, check out this post on intracervicalinsemination.com. If you’re interested in home insemination, Make A Mom has some great resources, and for pregnancy-related topics, CCRM IVF is an excellent source.

In summary, let’s stop adding unnecessary layers of “magic” to holidays and instead embrace the wonder that already exists in everyday life.