Tallulah recently walked through to the living room one early evening with a face which was 60% pride and 40% mischief.

She then declared that she could perform a magic trick for me. Which is exactly what she then did, with a singular aplomb and commitment only a parent could fully appreciate.

The trick unfolded as such; she revealed a bracelet of Mummy’s in her hands, which truth be told wasn’t wholly concealed due to three and a half year old hands, and informed me that she could make said bracelet vanish.

Next, the real magic- fixing me with her gaze, Tallulah instructed me to pay attention. Then, with the deft touch of a sleight-of-hand master, slung the bracelet over her shoulder to an unknown spot on the floor behind her.

The pride and apparent awe at her skill as she displayed both now-empty hands was one of the best things I have ever seen. Meanwhile the whole performance was concluded as she turned, scanned and stooped to pick up the bracelet which had been in my eyesight throughout, and presented it to me, back in the hands which were empty mere moments prior.

Oran has long displayed a similar cunning to his little sister, one part of which she has inherited. He would love to nonchalantly suggest a game of rock, paper, scissors with an adult, usually my wife or I.

There was, though, a gilt-edged way to ensure his success at every turn, like the gambler who has cracked the system at the casino. Like said gamblers, there was one tiny flaw in his plan, which became swiftly evident. Once said adult had shown their hand (as any of the three available options) he would wait, analyse the effort in front if him, then invariably play a trump hand to win. I can only assume that his perception of how long this process took, while admirably swift, was significantly less than it was in real-time.

As ever with these ramblings. there is a (tangential) point. That is the undeniable truth that we are in presence of the profoundly magical every day. Indeed, such a statement can acknowledge that our kids can make the most mundane and tiresome parts of every day transcendent and beautiful- now that’s magic.

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