The Lost Magic: Fairy Children in a Divided World

I have met many types of children in my 20+ years in education, but my favorite kind is what I call the fairy children. 

Fairy children are those children who seem to sparkle with each step. The children who light up the room. Who smile even when it's raining. They basically skip through childhood, and make a classroom full of fun. 

I sadly do not have such children, nope not here. My kids are the kind who see the world with skepticism and cynicism. Wonder where they get that?! Lol

But lucky for me, I get to enjoy play dates  with a fairy child who calls me "Aunt Abby."

But during our play this time as she danced around the room, she asked me a random question: Who did I vote for?  

And before I could even answer she asked flat out, “did you vote for Trump? I told her no—I had voted for RFK. I could see the confusion across her face by my answer, but then threw her arms around me in relief.

“Good,” she said. “People who voted for Trump are bad people.”

Now that didn’t feel very fairy-like. 

Turns out even our fairies are not immune. 

While it is not unusual for the country to be politically divided, the tone feels different these days. It reflects more than just policies and platforms; it conveys a sense of moral judgment and, dare I say, hate. This past Presidential address is a prime example. When the democratic party chooses to not rise once even on common ground policies like not taxing tips and overtime, or the honorable fight of pediatric cancer, it is of grave concern.

As those actions communicate one message: Division, us versus them. You can never agree with the other side, no matter what they say. And this message of division isn't just filling our news feeds or heating up over our dinner conversations; it's trickling down into the playgrounds and classrooms. 

It’s a shift that’s both disheartening and dangerous, as it shapes a generation that may see division before diversity and disagreement before discourse.

As educators, politicians and parents, it's crucial to step back and examine the lessons we're imparting. Are we encouraging critical thinking and empathy, or are we inadvertently coloring their views with our own biases? The true test of our time might not be in how well we can argue our points, but in how well we can teach our children to understand and respect differing views.

Reversing this trend won’t be easy, but it’s necessary. 

It starts with conversations that emphasize understanding over agreement. It grows through education that values diverse perspectives and teaches the history and the mechanics of political systems without allegiance to one side or the other. And it blossoms in homes and schools prioritizing kindness and curiosity over conformity and certainty.

And the clock is ticking. Our ‘fairy children’ are dying. And 'fairy children' are essential to our success as  their brightness and sparkle are so needed. We need to light up the world by seeing the good in it and each other, no matter where on the spectrum those others might fall and it is the fairy children that remind us of this reality.