Oh baby girl, if I can give you one piece of advice on today, your 8th birthday, it’s hold on to the magic. 

M was so excited to have her sweetie cake for her birthday

We all chose to believe what we want to believe and of course you get to make your own mind up. Last night though I was a little shocked to hear you tell your friends that you didn’t think the tooth fairy was real. You lost your most recent tooth only a week ago and wrote her a letter. What happened? What made the magic fade?

As I told you this morning you can choose to believe that the sky is blue, that I love you and that the tooth fairy is real, but if you decide not to believe any of those things does it actually make the world a better place?

As we get older we tend to believe in less magic and that means we see less magic. I think that can only make the world a more boring place. I know you think that acting grown up makes you cool, but once the magic is lost it can be hard to find again.

I believe in fairies

One of the most important things is that you don’t ruin the magic for others. If you choose not to believe or see the magic that is all around you then that is your choice, but taking it away from your friends and sister is not a nice thing to do. The best thing you can do is to help others see magic for as long as possible, create magic for others and help the world be full of sparkles.

At breakfast this morning you asked if you could have a baby at 18. I said of course you can if you want, but I would rather you waited. At 18 you can go to pubs and clubs, you should be out having fun with your friends not home with a baby. You liked that idea and decided maybe 25 would be a better age. I told you I had you when I was 30. You looked at me like 30 was ancient, it’s really not little one. This is why I try and slow you down. You should have so much time to be an adult, but the days of childhood are numbered.

There are many many amazing things you can do with your life, but as you get older you will know heartache too. You will cry over broken hearts, loss and disappointment. I hope I will be there for a long time to comfort you and that you will always choose to share your sorrows with me, but mostly I hope they will be few.

I want to see your smiles, your laughter, your excitement, your wonder and your contentment. Trust me on this, the best way to get more of all of that is to believe in the magic and make it for others. Be amazed by everything from how a flower can grow from a tiny seed, how a tummy can grow a human, by fireworks, the power of jokes and how a hug from someone you love can solve so much. There is magic in everyday, it's all around us if we look for it. 

Keep believing, I do.