“Mom, Can I Fly If I Really Want To?”

We’ve received many questions from parents wondering what to answer when their children ask if they can fly or, say, become a fairy.

As outlandish as it may sound, this is a very essential question in a child’s world!

My answer would be a resounding ‘yes’ and I’ve actually said to my son: ‘Yes, you can fly. You can fly in your imagination.’

At one point, we discussed this question in depth at a parents’ night with our son’s daycare staff.

These education experts said that it is very necessary to encourage children to use their imagination. It broadens their mind and their sphere of reality. Imagination is their very own, private world where they learn to relate things to actual reality.

You see, children have this innate ability to distinguish between what is real and what is imagination. It’s perfectly okay to trust that ability.

I often say to my daughter that princesses don’t act that way when she misbehaves, or even better, tell her that look, princesses act this way… and she’ll go on to do exactly that.

If I were to say to her, you should act this way or you shouldn’t do that, cooperation doesn’t come that easy, as she doesn’t have a true peer to relate to!

Princesses are simply “other kids” many girls identify with. And some other kids consider fairies as their peers. They are very important creatures on that level, very much personally significant to them.

Our educators convinced us that it’s completely safe to let kids imagine they’re fairies or princesses or other imaginary heroes. Soon enough the day will come when your kid comes home from daycare or preschool and tell you they don’t believe in fairies or Santa Claus anymore.

But even then, they’ll continue to maintain their belief in stories!

Stories are a very important way of dealing with the type of questions such as ‘can I fly’, which they put before us in order to find the real answers to life’s questions.

Personally, my favorite story ever is Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. It happens to be all about flying. The story reveals itself to me in very different ways every time I pick it up and read it.

In the book, Jonathan keeps practising and practising and he’s trying to fly and glide around in very visionary ways that his peer group can’t even comprehend. He has his imagination! Inside his imagination, he can do anything and he’s trying to do it in his real life too.

The point is, he is USING his imagination, flexing his imaginary muscles, seeing things with new eyes… and before long he can do it in real life as well.

And seeing things in new, imaginary ways is very, very important.

You do an incalculably huge favor to your child when you encourage them to use their imagination. That richness of imagination they gain early in life is rewarded especially when they grow up; they’ll be capable of thinking without limits! (And as a result, better equipped to adapt to life’s challenges and maximize their opportunities)

As far as seeing things in new ways goes, stories are a very powerful way of bringing it about. As I mentioned, I understand my Jonathan Livingston Seagull in a new way every time. Teenagers or young adults may relate more to movies such as The Matrix, that have a rich subtext about stretching their limits and imagination.

Of course there are also other methods that help you to understand things in new ways, such as meditation. It is about transcending the old boundaries and limits in order to personally reach a new scope of life.

This is why I think it’s safe to say our kids that you *can* fly. Or that they *can* be a fairy.

Let their minds fly high!

PS. Just to be absolutely clear: we do NOT condone anyone trying to jump off buildings in an attempt to learn how to fly. Common sense is a recipe for all situations…

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Tagged as: education, fairytales, flying, imagination, Law of Attraction, Parenting, satu tunkelo, stories