Wendy Lily

I was going to write an educational post tonight, but it's late and I can't quite gather all of my thoughts for that. Instead, I am going to write a post about my Lily girl. Lily is obsessed with Peter Pan. Her love began with Jack and the Neverland Pirates (an updated spin-off of the original Peter Pan story). When we realized she really liked Peter, I got her a copy of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan from school (it was a give away book), which she takes to bed with her every night. We have read some of it, but it's still a little heavy to get through, so we move slowly. She watched the live Peter Pan in November, she watched the Disney Peter Pan, she owns a newer updated Peter Pan. She just adores Peter Pan. It is maybe the cutest thing I have ever witnessed.

Lily has also had trouble sleeping through the night. One night we were talking about Peter Pan. She told me she wishes Peter would visit her and take her to Neverland, only her Neverland cannot have a Hook, or tick-tock croc, or pirates. She said they are a little too scary. She wants mermaids, and Peter, and Tinkerbell. I told her Peter won't visit her if she can't sleep by herself. Peter doesn't want to visit adults like mommy. Since then, she has slept through the night. She wakes up to report if Peter visited (he hasn't), but she is waiting. She also wears her Wendy nightgown and likes to be called Wendy-Lily (she does this so Peter knows that she is the one to take to Neverland).

I know this little white lie won't come true, at least, not in a real way. It will come true, though, if she holds onto her beautiful and wonderful imagination. I know, for certain, that she knows deep in her bones that Peter is real. And, really, he is, isn't he? He is alive in every child that believes in a Neverland. She told me tonight that she wants to go to Neverland, but she can't stay too long because she would miss me too much. My heart just melted. She knows. Her imagination go far enough that she can dream of mermaids and Peter and Tink, but it always comes back home. I love watching her learn and grow and stretch the limits of her curiosity. If ever a child lived in wonder, Lily is that child.

She decided that she wants to have a Peter Pan themed birthday party (in June, so this might change...). I want to get some sheer fabric and cut a Peter Pan shadow out and hang it in her room while she is sleeping. Like he did visit, but left his shadow. I want her to know that he is there and will always be there in imagination, in her wildest dreams. Some little part of her should never grow up, it should run wildly into the direction of her dreams and approach life with child-like wonder.

My Wendy-Lily in her Wendy pajamas with her doggie and her fort.