I recently had to explain optical illusions to my 5 year old daughter.  About a month ago my ex husband took down my daughter’s ceiling fan. The fan didn’t work and it needs to be replaced but when he took it down he discovered that there was no box and old knob and tube. He put in a box but has not rewired yet so there is a hole in my daughter’s ceiling with a metal box.

Last night, as she was settling down for bed, she thought she saw a bug on the door. She is afraid of bugs and called to have me remove it. She pointed it out on the door and upon inspection I showed her it was just a knick in the wood that had taken stain better than the rest of the door. She asked why it appeared to move and I explained it was an optical illusion. She then asked me what the shiny thing was in her ceiling. I explained it was the light from her bedside lamp reflecting off the metal of the box where dad had removed the fan.

“Oh, I thought I had a fairy”