~This is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.~
Many teachers have a leprechaun visit their classrooms when their students are out of the room, such as recess or lunch. During this time, a leprechaun (AKA a parent volunteer) will mess up the room by tipping over chairs, mixing items around, moving desks, etc. Even though the leprechaun plays a trick on the kids, he always leaves a treat like a cupcake or cookie. The kids love this!
When I began to homeschool, I started this tradition at home with my children. They set up traps the night before and wait anxiously to see if they caught a leprechaun the next morning. The legend states that if you catch a leprechaun, you get to keep his pot of gold. But he is very clever and difficult to catch since he can turn into a rabbit or a snake when caught. (remember that part for later)
When one of my sons was older, I decided it was time to tell him the truth about the leprechaun by leaving a letter in his trap (after he went to bed) explaining it was Mom and Dad playing tricks on him, not a leprechaun.
The next morning he bolted into my bedroom and exclaimed, "I caught him Mom! I really did!"
I was confused and thought to myself, "Wow! He accepted my letter really well. Maybe he is trying to play a trick on me now."
I decided to play along. As I went to check out the trap and see the leprechaun, there was a real snake in the trap, which was a laundry basket with large holes that it could easily slither in and out of. I was completely shocked!
I WISH I TOOK A PHOTO BUT I WAS FREAKING OUT! There had never been a snake in my home before, and I didn't know it is was poisonous or not!
I opened the front door and used a broom to scoot the snake out the door. Meanwhile, my son is yelling, "No, Mom! What are you doing? I finally caught him! Why are you letting him go? I want the pot of gold!"
My son had never even read the folded letter in the trap! When I read the letter to him and tried to explain to my son that it was just mom that was the "leprechaun" all those years before, he just looked at me so confused. He didn't believe me! He totally thought I was joking. I think it took me months after that strange event to convince him that I was the leprechaun.
Maybe leprechauns do exist. The next time you lose your car keys or can't find something that you "just knew for sure" where you left it, it just may be a leprechaun playing tricks on you. :)
