Once upon a time there lived well-loved and
beloved play companions of Michelle
and Drew. These companions
were Big Jake and Little Trike.
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And
so began our opening lines to the make believe stories we would tell our five
and three year old children. It all
started as a way to keep them occupied and quiet as we traveled through two
European countries looking for God’s call on our lives.
Obviously,
this trip was prior to “Apps” or Ipads, lap top computers, Iphones, smart
phones, even cell phones! So quiet
accidentally Greg and I rediscovered the hidden art of story telling.
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Much
like the Canterbury tales we were looking to find a way for our (very busy and
often too talkative) preschoolers to manage the many hours of travel. At that
time our children were enjoying Barney the dinosaur, Steve Green and the “Hide
them in Your Heart” music VHS tapes.
We
had to leave all that behind to seek God’s plan for our family. We would tell the stories of Michelle and
Drew’s outdoor toys; a battery powered four wheeler and a red tricycle.
We told them stories of the now personified
toys getting lost or hungry or wanting to stay up late. We gave them emotions and feelings and put
them in situations that greatly reflected our own on foreign soil.
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The
children hated the cliffhangers, as we would reach a destination. They would beg for the next excerpt as we
would climb into whatever form of transportation was taking us to our next
location.
As
parents, these are fond memories.
Truthfully, on occasion the children will recount these stories complete
with their own memories of where we were and their understanding of what was
happening around them.
Story
telling is a lost art. We have been
blessed with so many “apps” we have no need for our own words or imaginations. I encourage you to make up a story with your
children this week. Rather than jumping
in your SUV and turning up the tunes or handing over your Ipad, try story
telling. It is a stretch. It does take your attention and
imagination. These stories could be the
beginning of a new type of deposit in your child’s relational and developmental
bank.
I
don’t regret the time we spent making up stories for the children. I’m grateful we took that long trip with our
preschoolers and we didn’t have the modern conveniences that we have
today. Is it OK to say I’m really glad
they didn’t have an app for that?
My
challenge this week is to put up your techie gadgets and play with your
children. Whatever age they are, find
yourself “present” with them. Maybe story telling will become your new "app" of choice.
Psalm
78:4-6
New
English Translation
4 we
will not hide from their descendants.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.
5 He established a rule in Jacob;
he set up a law in Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to make his deeds known to their descendants,
6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,
might know about them.
They will grow up and tell their descendants about them.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.
5 He established a rule in Jacob;
he set up a law in Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to make his deeds known to their descendants,
6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,
might know about them.
They will grow up and tell their descendants about them.
