(I hate to begin this with a preface, but here it is.) PREFACE: I actually have something else already composed and waiting to be published, but I was in a REALLY ugly mood that day and I didn't want my first update to be pessimistic. This will make more sense in the light of the next couple of entries.
On a positive note:
I must begin by introducing Big Red. If you were unfamiliar, Big Red is the mascot for the University of Arkansas. He is also the hero in one of my children's favorite books, Hello Big Red. Every night before bed my son asks for two things (mainly to delay the inevitable): a story created on the spot and a recount of your day. If you've ever had to make up a bedtime story, you understand the difficulties. It becomes increasingly more difficult when you have to tell something new. every. single. night. There are times when I have to glance around the room to get inspiration for the nightly tale. If I'm really feeling fancy, I include a moral or a specific purpose to the story to help my little guy with something he's struggling with. I've spun tales of sharing, kindness, love, bravery and friendship. A frequent moral has been: OBEY YOUR PARENTS.
A couple of nights ago, I was having one of the glance-around-for-inspiration moments when my eyes alighted on, you guessed it... Hello Big Red. The thing foremost in my mind was being in this new and very different country. Hence, the following story:
Once upon a time (you are in BIG trouble if you do not start your story this way) the Arkansas Razorback Football team had to go to a very far away place. The people on the team were Big Red's best friends and he loved them all very much. They suggested that he join them. He was SO excited. He got on a plane for a VERY long trip. He had to go to the other side of the world! When he got there, everybody spoke in a different language, so he didn't understand what they were saying. It made him feel better when he saw his very good friends on the football team. They had so much fun together! Pretty soon, everyone had to go back to practicing and playing football though. And before long, Big Red started missing his home. He missed his bed and toys, he missed his dog and church. He decided that he didn't like this new country after all, so he went home. It was another REALLY long trip, but soon he was at his house. He was so happy to be with all the things he missed and able to understand what everyone was saying! However, it didn't take him very long to realize that all of those things weren't as important as being with the ones he loved - his BEST friends. He got right back on a plane and went to spend as much time with his friends on the other side of the world as possible. Sometimes he still missed things from home, but he knew that he would much rather be here. His best friends were happy too. The end.
Sometimes the bedtime stories are more for me than the kids after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment