I’m used to the anti-climactic nature birthdays and Christmases tend to have for kids – all the hype of the short 24-hour span building up for weeks, a brief burst of gift opening, and then, poof! It’s over. I know in a few short weeks, I’ll be pulling Easter Bunny duty, trying to come up with cute and clever basket ideas (that don’t involve that obnoxious plastic grass that inevitably ends up all over the house). I didn’t realize that I should be feeling the pressure for St Patricks Day.
Yes. St Patricks Day. Pressure.
Those freakin’ leprechauns.
And those freakin’ preschool teachers who set these kids up to believe in these freakin’ leprechauns.
I knew that The Princess knew that St Patricks Day was approaching. I had told her last night, “You’ll have to wear green tomorrow so that you don’t get pinched.” She looked at me like I was insane and said, “You won’t pinch me!” And I looked right back at her and jokingly said, “Oh, I won’t?”
“Nooooooooo, you’re my mommy, and you love me so I know you won’t pinch me!”
Okay, can’t fault that logic.
This morning, The Princess got out of bed about 5:45 (about 5 minutes after Pumpkin – so I was awake, if barely). We all traipsed downstairs and I noticed The Princess peeking through the curtains to look in the yard. She went upstairs to fetch some clothes to wear today and when she came back down she said, “I heard a noise! I looked out my window – I think it might have been…the leprechauns!” What? “Miss D says that on St Patricks Day, the leprechauns come around and hide silly stuff and they are in our yards!” Thanks Miss D (and thank you, preschool… is that what we’re teaching the kiddos these days?).
Several times this morning, The Princess was peering out the curtains looking for leprechauns. By this afternoon, she was pouting. “I thought St Patricks Day would be SO great! I thought the leprechauns would come.”
It was so sad that I called Hubby at work and told him to bring home leprechaun treats and hide them before he came into the house this evening. We are so suckered. He came in the house this evening and said to The Princess, “I pulled into the driveway and saw a leprechaun in our yard! He ran away when he saw me, but it looks like he left something there!” I have never see The Princess get her coat on so fast. Of course, the leprechaun brought her an awesome LazyTown coloring book (with scented crayons, no less). So now, she is no longer soured on St Patricks Day.
We’re not even Irish!
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What the heck? Did I miss something? Isn’t it bad enough that we now have to buy gifts at Easter, and not just candy filled eggs (did you know Easter is second only to Christmas in toy sales?), now we have to leave junk from Leprechauns???!!! I can’t even spell them, much less play personal shopper for them! I’d have a long talk with that teacher.
Glad Hubby was a good sport! Lazy Town rocks!
We just eat green eggs around here. I’m so glad we aren’t expected to come up with gifts!
In retrospect, it would have been a good opportunity for Hubby and I to gently teach her that in life there are some letdowns and that not all holidays come with gifts. Of course, as a parent you want to not have your kids bummed out about small potato stuff like the leprechaun not visiting your house (I can’t believe I’m even typing this! LOL!) — Hubby and I have vowed to not mention the leprechaun again and hopefully we’ll be off the hook next year!