Storytelling

Stories are one of my children's most favorite things. They love them. And, happily, I have learned of their amazing power to help keep my children patient.

-Doctor office waiting rooms

-Lines at the grocery store

-Picking up siblings at school

-Doing hair in the morning

-Long car trips....

The list is endless. They will sit, (or stand as the case may be) and listen intently while I tell them a story. They do enjoy when I tell a classic tale we have read from a book many times, but they really love when Mommy tells a 'make-up story.' They can be about anything, and they don't even have to be that great if my brain isn't working so well and the creativity switch is in the 'off' position. As long as I'm telling one, they are engaged in it.

We tell stories about aliens, jungle animals, farm animals, dinosaurs, princesses, wizards, and regular kids. Stories can take ten minutes, (doing hair) or two, (picking up siblings at school).

Make-up stories have also helped out at sad times. They are a great distraction. They have come to the rescue so many times.

-Sickness

-Bad dreams

-Skinned knees

-Loss of a toy

-Immunization day...

And not only do they get us through the rough patches and boredom, they have taught my children creativity and fundamentals of storytelling. My kids can tell really good stories of their own. When they tell their make-up stories, they have settings, characters, and plot. Their stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. There are struggles and triumphs, heroes and villains, magic and reality. Even my three-year-old has learned to make up his own tales of adventure. It is so great to see them imagine a world all their own.

Storytelling. It is just plain wonderful all around.