Imagination

Today I am grateful for imagination. I LOVED my imagination growing up. I could often be seen if you looked out the kitchen window running around the yard back and forth, talking to myself and oblivious to the world around me. I can remember my older brother one time catching me in our family car pretending to drive and talking to myself. I was 13. How embarrasing.
Today Katrina was helping me fold the laundry on my bed and we were singing songs (of course the ones that fabulous song leader is currently teaching the primary). I suddenly remembered an article I had read on ways to help your child develop an imagination. Of course they are going to do it on their own but there are things that can be done to help them along. I started to tell a made-up story and then would pause and say, "and then...." and look at her. She had a little bit of a hard time with it as she would basically try to then end the story with the next sentence. For instance one of my stories started out with a Unicorn looking for a necklace she had lost, and then..."She found it." "No, no, no Katie let's try to add more to the story." Blank look... I know that after a few more tries at this game she'll start to get the hang of it. So then Payton enters the room and is playing our game for a little bit, then he says, "Mom tell us the story of Hansel and Gretel!"
Do you remember the story tellers that used to come to the schools? Our class would be led to the library where we would all sit down in front of an old lady who looked like she might kill over and die any second. She would smile and shake with age as we all settled down, and then, she would began to tell a story. I remember her telling "clash of the titans". I was mesmerized and enthralled as she talked about perseus, medusa, and pegasus. She was so animated and fascinating. I remember being extrememly disappointed when it was over and wanting to hear more.
Anyways, back to our laundry scene. I began to tell the story of Hansel and Gretel (with Payton butting in and correcting me every few minutes). "No mom, first he drops pebbles and they find their way back home and then the NEXT time he drops bread crumbs!" "No mom, Hansel is the only one in the cage! Gretel is doing all the chores for the witch!" Apparently I need a refresher course in twisted fairy tales... So when the story is done I say, "Let's play Hansel and Gretel. I will be the mean stepmom and the witch, you guys are Hansel and Gretel." They think that's awesome. "Can Dad be the dad?" "Of course he will." Says I. So we all head off to the living room to let Dad know his part. We do the pebbles (cheerios), breadcrumbs, walk into the woods (backyard), eating of the gingerbread house (the playset), which has been decorated with a sign identifying it as the gingerbread house and with various items scattered around from our play kitchen food symbolizing "the candy decorations". We fed Payton up fat, Katie pushed me into the fire and they loved it. So there....I've done my good mom deed. That one should be good for like a month right? :)