Learning to 'Fly'

Pam Pereira wants you to fly 

She did, and it changed her life. 

“If all the families run with this, we’ll have a better world,” said the founder and owner of Kinder Magic, a 27-year-old preschool and kindergarten program in Coeur d’Alene. 

Now, Pereira doesn’t mean fly like Superman. She means fly as in “First Love Yourself.” 

That became her mantra nearly 10 years ago when her marriage ended after three decades. 

“It shattered me,” she said. 

Recovery began when her son suggested she “come jump out of an airplane with me.” 

So she did. 

And as she was floating back to Earth, she felt exhilarated. There was what she called “a little bit of a spark.” No fear. 

“I can rise above this event in my life,” she thought. 

But Pereira needed a word. One that would be her word, that could pull her up and help her be strong.

She found in it two unlikely places. 

First, when she was at a craft fair in Coeur d’Alene and came across a jade necklace. On the stone was a single word: “Fly.” 

She bought it.

“It almost gave me chills,” Pereira said. 

Then, a friend presented her with a small sculpture of a bird. On the chest was again the word “Fly” and underneath it, three more words: “First Love Yourself.” 

Pereira knew. 

“That threw me,” she said. “This is a sign of something.” 

Since, she has shared the concept of Fly with her young students through lessons, songs and messages around the classroom like “Dream,” “Follow Your Heart,” “I am special” and “Hurt no living thing.”

“They love it,” Pereira said. 

She also wrote and illustrated the book,” Fly: For ages 0-100.” 

In it, she wrote, “We must first give love to ourselves before we have it to give to others.” 

Fly tells the tale of a fairy named “Magic” whose heart, once so full of love, suddenly feels empty and sad. She regains her joy after discovering she must love herself so she can then freely share it with those around her and her heart “will never be empty or sad.” 

Pereira believes it’s more than a happy story. 

“To all parents reading this book to their children ... saturate their life with the concept of FLY. If you are an adult reading this to yourself, it is never too late to First Love Yourself. This concept will change the trajectory of a child’s life ... but they will not learn it from us as parents or teachers unless we are actually living it. The lack of self-love in the adult world is an epidemic,” Pereira said.  

She said the importance of self-love applies across the board, to parenting, marriage and teaching. Kids soak it in better than adults. But it’s never too late, Pereira said. 

“I feel like it’s a great message everyone should learn,” she said. 

Pereira said without a doubt, it has helped her overcome life’s setbacks. 

“I feel a lot better about myself, who I am,” she said. 

She said sometimes, people try too hard or look in the wrong places to find love. 

It doesn’t have to be that way, Pereira said. 

In fact, happiness might be one word away. 

“Why not make it as something as simple as fly?” she said. 

Fly is available on Amazon and Coeur d’Alene stores Mix It Up on Sherman Avenue and The Well Read Moose at Riverstone.