Posted Dec. 17, 2023

Tell Me a Story!

We have probably all read a story to our kids, usually after dinner or bedtime. There are so many colorful books available for kids. If you’re not reading to your kids (even older ones), you’re missing a great family bonding event. It should happen regularly, even daily. And it shouldn’t be just Mom. It should include Dad and even an older brother or sister.

My focus this week is going past the words on the page. Unless you are a very quick wit, you should first read the book without the kids. Take time to feel the author’s theme, their rhythm and their mood. Is this story comical, serious, moody, dramatic or inquisitive? You’ve just taken your first step beyond being a story reader. The biggest difference between being a reader and a storyteller comes from inside you.

A story reader uses the brain to read words. A storyteller uses the heart to move the listener to immersion within the story. If there are multiple characters in the story, each must have their own distinctive voice, speed and even rhythm. Voices can be tough, soft, sweet or matter of fact. By reading the book first, you can build a sense of character beyond the words. Think how each sentence can have far more depth because you have taken the time to feel the words.

Most children’s books rely way too much on the pictures. Without the pretty pictures, the story wouldn’t even be worth reading. So pick books that have meaningful depth. These are the ones you should spend time with. A good story is painting a picture in the listener’s mind. It becomes their story because we will each paint a little different picture.

So now it’s time to be the “Storyteller”. Don’t let them see the pictures. Paint the pictures with the sounds of your voice, your body language and the look on your face. Don’t be timid. Mentally be on your own stage, performing for the most important people in your world. As you hone your confidence (that is probably more important than skill), look for ways to draw your audience into the story. Maybe there is a line that keeps repeating. Get them to say it with you.

There are books about how to be a great “storyteller”, but this is just you and the family. When relatives or friends come over, ask them if they have a favorite story from their past to share. Did they have a dog, cat, raccoon or squirrel as a pet? Was there an event that went totally wrong or unexpected? Before long, everyone will be remembering those crazy times, important moments, moving events that make life so interesting. You’ve started a storytelling frenzy.

At this point you are becoming a real person to your kids, not just the angry parent who demands they clean their room or the maid, chef and chauffeur. When kids realize you are a real person who’s done stupid things, laughed till the milk came out your nose or even failed but have learned from that failure, that’s when a family bonds!

The following is considered a tall tale! I have changed the story by wording it as if it was me as a young boy telling the story. I will be able to tell this story for years because I have invested my heart into its creation.

When I was 12, I spent the summer with my grandparents cabin on a lake. Grandpa loved to fish, so every morning we would go out on the boat and fish. But one day really stands out in my mind. I caught a beautiful rainbow trout. As I admired that fish, I suddenly looked at its eyes, and it was looking right back at me. “Grandpa, this fish is looking at me.” Grandpa looked at the fish and said, “That must be a relative of one I caught years ago.” He took the fish and put it in a bucket of water. When we arrived back at the cabin, he put the trout in the rain barrel.

Each day when I looked at that fish, I noticed the water kept going down. There must be a leak in the barrel. I didn’t know that each night Grandpa was taking a bucket of water out of the barrel. When the barrel was almost empty, Grandpa took the trout out of the barrel and put it on the dew drenched grass. He then laid in the grass a few feet away and called to the fish. It wriggled its way to Grandpa. I was amazed. After doing this several times, he put the trout back in the almost empty barrel. Unfortunately, I left for Boy Scout camp that day. When I returned two weeks later, I was walking down the driveway and here came Grandpa with the trout walking beside him on his fins. I was stunned.

Since it was a great day for fishing, We made a little tiny fishing pole for the trout and tucked it under his fin. We all sat in the boat, fishing, waiting. Suddenly trout had a strike. It must have been a big one because it pulled trout right into the water. Grandpa shouted, “Get him, or he’ll drown!” Since I had taken life-saving and swimming classes at camp, I dove in and grabbed trout as he was sinking in the water. I got him up to Grandpa, and he gave trout mouth to gill resuscitation. Trout survived! That evening, Grandpa slowly started adding water to the rain barrel. Within a couple of weeks, trout had started breathing underwater again, and we took him back to the lake and waved goodbye as he swam off.

There were no pictures to go with the above story. But I’m sure you were painting pictures in your mind as you read the story. You could see Grandpa in the grass calling to trout, or walking beside him on the driveway. Ask another person to describe the picture they created compared to your picture. A fantastic story paints its own pictures - in your mind!

That’s what good play is all about.

No directions, nobody telling you that
“you can’t do it that way”.

It’s pure discovery!