Magic Moments

We discovered a book today that we hadn’t seen for a while. It’s a magic book that I used to learn some magic tricks for my daughter’s sixth birthday party. We just unpacked it today. My daughter used to spend her time reading and practicing tricks from the book, but it’s been in a box or forgotten for about a year.  The book is called The Stupendous Big Book of Magic Tricks.

The discovery today reignited her attempts at the art of illusion. And it sparked an impromptu magic show this evening.

She started by showing me her trick. I gave her some pointers (‘cause that’s what mom’s do), and then she tried it again. I sat back and watched as she practiced the trick with her siblings. They all got into it. I’m sure they all know how the trick is done, too. But they all got into the magic and the performance. They were laughing and interacting so fabulously together that I didn’t want the moment to end. All of my children were taking turns performing the trick, and more importantly, all of my children were encouraging each other to perform the trick.

My oldest, the fourth grader, was the best at the trick, and I managed to snag a video of her doing the act. But what was neat about this performance was how she encouraged all of her younger siblings in their efforts to learn and perform the trick.

My oldest son, the second grader, actually struggled with the trick a lot. But he was so excited and happy while he was doing it. He was a little ham, while he acted out the trick.  And again, all the other children were just as supportive and “played along” with him while he was performing.

My next son, the Kindergartner, just loved that he got a chance to do what the big kids were doing. He was able to do the trick okay, but had more fun trying to find creative places for the penny to go. He would often say “Pretend you didn’t see me put the penny here,” to his brothers and sisters. And again, they all went along with it.

Finally, my daughter, the preschooler, got a turn to perform the trick. She went through the motions, but I’m not sure she actually knew what she was doing. Yet, the older children cheered and laughed and supported her just as much as they did their big sister. She was so excited to be doing something her big sister was doing.

The entire magic show lasted for almost an hour.  It was way past everyone’s bed time, but I didn’t want the magic to end. I didn’t want the comradery and friendship to end. I didn’t want the love and inclusiveness to end. I was mesmerized by how much love my children were showing for each other. There was so much laughter and delight expressed during that hour. It was truly a magical moment for our family.

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