Nicholas the Story Teller
As your kids get older, you learn that every so often they say or do something that totally catches you off guard. Tonight, Nic threw me a curve ball I was not expecting. We had a great day today beginning with breakfast, playing toys, “bowling” at home which consists of a Nerf basketball as the bowling ball and some plastic Virginia Tech cups as the “pins.”
We then went to Roanoke to do some Christmas shopping. That, too, was a LOT of fun! I’ll be able to share more after Christmas, but for now … sshhhhhh! After, um, some shopping, we decided to relax and watch a movie. We saw The Tales of Despereaux, which was pretty good, but it definitely wasn’t a Disney Pixar film. Nic is more interested in the popcorn, but actually seemed to follow the movie.
Nic was zonked and as soon as we got in the car for the ride home, he was asleep. I had to carry him from the car to the house and after getting his coat and shoes off, he went potty, washed his hands and climbed into my lap for about 15 minutes and just curled up on me. He hasn’t done that in a long time!
After he woke up, we played “bowling” some more and had dinner - chicken noodle soup, Goldfish crackers, and grilled cheese sandwiches. After even MORE bowling and watching some basketball.
Finally, bed time! Brushing of teeth. Donning of PJs and one more trip to the potty. Then, in bed for some story time before mom calls to say goodnight. After the call from mommy, we finish the first book and then read four more. A recap of the day. Prayers are said. Hugs and kisses doled out. One last sip of water and then, as I said “G’night Nic, I love you! I’ll see you in the morning,” Nic said “Daddy?”
“What is it, buddy?”
“I wanna tell you a story.”
Well this is new! He’s never offered to tell me a story before, so I walked back in his room and knelt beside his bed, smiling.
“Okay buddy, I’d love to hear a story!”
Nic proceded to tell me a story about some little puppies who went looking for things in their room, but couldn’t find them. Their fan, their CD player, their lotion, their pictures, their cup of water, their towl and their door - just to name a few things. Coincidentally, all those items were in Nic’s room. His little eyes just wandered around the room as he made up his story as he went along. It reminded me of the final scene from the movie “The Usual Suspects.”
It was so cute watching him get so into his story. His little eyes would widen as he used his voice to build excitement as the puppies searched for an object only to find it missing.
“And the fan was gone! And their CD player! And their pictures…they were alllll gone,” he said shaking his little head. His inflection was very good as were his facial expressions. For a 3-1/2 year old, Nic is a pretty darn good story teller and this was his first one! What a great imagination!
After 10 minutes of puppies looking for and eventually finding all of their things, Nic proclaimed the story over with a happy ending. Then he said, “Okay, dad. It’s time for bed.”
I thanked Nic for sharing his story, told him what a great imagination he had and that is was the best story I had ever heard! Another big hug and a kiss on his forhead. I think he was asleep before I got downstairs.
Being a father for the last 3+ years, I have had a lot of memorable days with my son and today ranks right up there. As far as I’m concerned, that story is the best Christmas gift I will get his year!
