Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Pretend Stories (a short story)

I’m not sure what started it all, but one day before Cora was two, she came to me with a book and climbed on my lap for a story. When I finished, she wanted us to read another book. At some point I decided to make up a tale and tell it as though I was reading it; I started with “once upon a time” and ended with “they lived happily ever after”. I told the simple tale about two old people who wished they had a baby to play with and how they achieved happiness. The story probably consisted of six sentences, and when I concluded it, I said, “The end”
“Read it again,” she said, which of course cracked me up, since no reading had been involved.
She's three years old now. Yesterday at nap-time I read her the book she had chosen. When I laid it down, she said, “Now read me a pwee-tend story.”
So I made up a story about two kittens who needed a home and finally met a little girl who loved them. She wanted another, but I begged off at that point. I can only come up with so many pretend stories in a day.
Isn’t it interesting that a child would rather hear a hastily-thought-up tale told by an old lady, a story with no pictures, that sometimes goes nowhere... rather than a $20 story book?
Perhaps it’s just that she recognizes some of the characters in the stories.

3 comments:

  1. I'm sure your stories do hit home with her. Pretend stories are the best. You should have her tell you one! When my babes were small we used to do that. Pretend is wonderful !

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  2. I used to do that with my siblings and then with my kids. I now do it with my daycare kids. I always make sure they are part of the story too! Wendy

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  3. Maybe she just really loves the old lady, & the old lady's stories.

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