Fairy Godmothers' To Do List


In the Disney film of Sleeping Beauty, two fairy godmothers bestow their gifts on the infant princess before the witch blasts in with her spoiler. For this week's listography, Katetakes5 has been pondering what blessings she would wish to be bestowed upon her children, were a passing fairy to take an interest them. And that set me to wondering too. My daughter, if I asked her, would plead for a Juicy Couture tracksuit; my son for the extinction of school. And I? If I could wish for them gifts to carry them through adulthood, I would choose:


Imagination

An essential tool that allows you to conjure a stallion out of a roll of carpet, to plan an Eden in a rubbly back yard, to invigorate a wet Saturday and walk in the shoes of a stranger. Imagination helps empathy and empathy fosters charity and charity is the root of all virtues.

Patience

I always hope that if I wait long enough the gift of patience will be bestowed on me. But, two minutes into a childish altercation I am shrieking louder than my offspring. Patient people play seven games of Guess Who? on the trot, think beautiful thoughts in a motorway jam, coax small talk out of an unappealing party guest and wait for a pip grow into an apple tree. Patient people usually master the art of counting their blessings.

Decent Gums

I’ve always thought that the Almighty took His eye off the ball when creating human teeth. My gums are shrinking faster that lambswool on a hot cycle. My smile in the bathroom mirror resembles a predatory yak. And a smile, however benevolent, is marred by lengthy fangs so I would wish for my children’s life path to be eased by dainty white pearlies.

A Moderate Income

Excessive wealth is a burden. The weight of it is liable to kill off imagination, the pursuit of it stunts patience and I never heard that it did gums much good.  A blessing is to have enough money to buy essentials and a bit over for Bendicks Bittermints and the occasional naughtiness from Boden, but too little to fund every dream. Impossible aspirations are energising. But I have no objection to them acquiring an old Cotswold rectory with a wing in it for me!

Purpose

Whether their aim is to grow the largest marrow for a flower show, to compose a symphony, run a pub or to relieve the dispossessed in Chad, I wish for them a sense of purpose to give direction to their lives and protection from the debilitating blight of apathy. 

What do you wish for your children? 

Comments

  1. Unknown22 April 2012 at 21:35

    5 fab wishes, especially imagination and patience. xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jackie K23 April 2012 at 06:18

    Excellent wishes! I nominated Patience as one of mine too. Very helpful as I have learned in unfortunate ways!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Claire T23 April 2012 at 08:03

    I love this list. Patience is one I lack so hopefully she might magic some from somewhere instead!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Alice Cant Cook23 April 2012 at 16:25

    Ah, bad news on the gums there. I'm with you there.

    Lovely fairy wishes. I'd like them all for myself.
    But if I could offer all of these to my son that would be fantastic, along with Common Sense (possibly also known as Instinct) and Social Skills (knowing when to get involved, knowing when to make someone feel better, knowing when to shut up)

    In the absence of any fairy, I'll have to have a go at instilling them myself.

    Great reading as always xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adventures of a Middle-aged Matron23 April 2012 at 22:18

      Many thanks. I was hping imagination would be a catch-all for social skills etcsince imaginative people can presumably intuit right behaviour.

      Delete
  5. Molly @ Mother's Always Right23 April 2012 at 19:43

    Brilliant wishes. All very worthy and grown-up. I'm now thinking I should go back and change mine...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adventures of a Middle-aged Matron23 April 2012 at 22:19

      I loved your wishes. Perhaps Kate would let us add ours together.

      Delete
  6. Kate23 April 2012 at 20:41

    Wish my Mum had had the foresight to wish for good gums for me. Yak attack.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bibsey Mama23 April 2012 at 21:35

    Excellent wish list. I most like the bits about gums and money. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adventures of a Middle-aged Matron23 April 2012 at 22:20

      I'd put up with excessive wealth, though, if it gave me my gums back!

      Delete
  8. Jane @ northernmum23 April 2012 at 21:44

    can you buy patience?

    you can buy teeth?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adventures of a Middle-aged Matron23 April 2012 at 22:21

      You can buy people to be patient on your behalf. Like a nanny. And you can buy teeth. ut can you buy gums?!!

      Delete
  9. Rachel Selby24 April 2012 at 19:40

    I like your list very much. Sorry nothing witty to add - I just like it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adventures of a Middle-aged Matron24 April 2012 at 20:55

      That's a lovely compliment and far more valued than a witticism.

      Delete
  10. Janelle25 April 2012 at 18:07

    I love it! I agree with you on Patience - mine seems to grow thinner and thinner as I get older (and since I've had a child - funny that?). You cracked me up with the teeth thing! But given that teeth are so essential yet so expensive to fix if there's something wrong with them, it makes sense to wish for good ones!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adventures of a Middle-aged Matron25 April 2012 at 18:48

      The great thing about blogging and tweeting is that you come across so many people who'll admit to what you feared were just your own lonely flaws!

      Delete
  11. Jumble Tree26 April 2012 at 11:53

    Thoroughly enjoyed reading your list.
    The last time I moaned about how terrible I look in photos, my mum informed me that receding gums run in the family. Great!
    Look forward to visiting again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adventures of a Middle-aged Matron13 May 2012 at 21:51

      Sorry, I did reply but it vanished. Not much hope for either of us! Thank you for dropping by.

      Delete
  12. Iota 29 April 2012 at 06:13

    Great list! I think the first will feed the fifth, but I fear that if the second is granted, then the fifth will never happen (though perhaps I have an overly negative view of the second). The fourth will enable the third to be artificially reconstructed, by the time the next generation are of an age to need it.

    You should never wish/pray for patience, because then you are given lots of opportunities to develop it. Who needs that?!

    ReplyDelete
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