The Pickup Fairy

So I was reading in my Parents magazine that one mother trained her son to pick up his toys by telling him that if he didn't, The Pickup Fairy would come and take his toys for a whole week. The mother said she felt slightly guilty about lying to her son but got approval from her doctor because kids at that stage were very imaginative so it was acceptable.

I decided to try this method tonight...I thought it would be simple...no questions asked...but Ayris was full of questions...perhaps she's too smart for this game.

I explained to her that the Pickup Fairy would come and take her toys if she didn't pick them up at the end of each day...and that mommy wasn't allowed to help because the Pickup Fairy thought it was important for children to learn how to pick up their own toys...

Shortly after Ayris was convinced that it was a good idea to pick up her toys, she walks into the kitchen and says:

I think I'm going to leave this ball for the Pickup Fairy to take tonight...

MmmmKKK...hadn't quite thought of where I'd actually hide the toys if my child requested specific ones be taken away!

Then she asked if the fairy was mean? Well how do I answer that? At first I started to say no...but then I thought, what kind of nice fairy steals toys?

Then she asks if the fairy has two hands?

Well yes, I'm pretty sure she does...why?

Ayris: Because it's going to take her an awfully long time to pick up all these toys with only two hands.

Good point...I should've told her she had ten hands. I wish I had ten hands...that would make my job a lot easier. Actually, I wish I had a pickup fairy myself...that'd be even better.

Then she asked if she had wings...well yes, don't all fairies have wings?

Then she asked if she'd take her balloon? Will she take the blanket?

Damn, this is becoming more complicated by the minute...and my mother will tell you I have a question limit...(come to think of it...this is probably payback...for getting super annoyed with my mother when she asked too many questions (and by too many, I mean anything more than 3)...this must be God trying to teach me patience by having a daughter who does the same thing!)

At this point, I might just remain the Pickup Fairy myself...it's far less time consuming than answering all of Ayris' questions =)

In all honesty though, Ayris did pretty well. It was difficult getting her motivated but I decided to pull out a timer while she was at it...an added emphasis that made the game a little more interesting. I asked her if she wanted 2 minutes or 5 minutes. She said 5 minutes...well she finished picking up with time to spare and it was the best job she's ever done when it comes to picking up.

I wonder what other fairies I could make up? The Wash Your Hands Fairy...The Go To Bed By Yourself Fairy...The Brush Your Teeth Fairy...The No Talking Back Fairy...it might start to seem a little suspicious if we have a fairy for everything though...she is pretty smart after all. Smart enough to know that having your toys disappear for a week is better than actually having to pick them up day after day. That's the conclusion I'd come to anyway =P