Hearts at Home

The grouchy, whiny child did not have to sit around too long wondering what was going to happen. While his mother called his brothers and sisters, his father settled himself into his easy chair. As the rest of the children in the family gathered to see what was happening, their mother turned down the lights.

"It is time for you children to sit down and listen," said their father in a serious, I-mean-business voice.  "Your mother and I have some important things to tell you."

He turned to the grouchy, whiny child.  "You have to sit on my lap first, though."

Once that child was comfortably curled up on his father's lap, The Treatment began:  "Once upon a time," said the father, "there was a little boy who lived in a castle, whose father was the king . . . "

And when that story was done, the children's mother began, "Once upon a time," she said, "there was a princess who could feel a pea through seventeen feather mattresses . . ."

By this time, all the children of the family were smiling, and when one story was finished, they asked for another. By the end of his mother's story about the princess and the pea, the grouchy, whiny child had fallen asleep on his father's lap, and by the end of their father's next story, all the other children were asleep, too.

Gently carrying each sleeping child to bed, the father and mother smiled at one another and said, "Once upon a time . . ."

Of course, The Treatment -- storytelling -- is not just for bedtime, nor is it only for grouchy, whiny children. Telling stories is for parents who just want to have fun with their children. And telling stories is a valuable, versatile tool for parents who want to communicate faith, values and beliefs, or who want to share family history and stories of other family members.

Storytelling is different from reading together. It is personal and intimate in a way no television or video can be, and storytelling is fun for its own sake. Small children especially enjoy hearing a story that is being told just for them. Older children who resent lectures and tune out lessons can be captivated and delighted -- and perhaps, instructed -- by a well told story. 

Storytelling is a wonderful way to pass the time any time. If you are in the car, or waiting for the doctor or dentist, or standing in line for any reason -- any time at all when children must wait for something, your stories will entertain your children, keep them from getting restless, and help them focus on something besides the fact that you are all still waiting. 

The stories you tell your children need not be limited to fairy tales. Children love to hear stories about their immediate and extended families, as well as stories about themselves when they were younger. You are sharing family history through the stories you tell, helping your children figure out who they are and where they fit into the family.

Family history is not the only thing you can share through the stories you tell.  Introduce your children to historical characters and events -- Honest Abe, Lucky Lindy, and Betsy Ross -- by telling stories about true adventures and real people.  Such stories stir a child's imagination, inspiring interest in the world around them.

Storytelling is an especially good way to pass on your faith and values. When we share stories about the heroes and heroines of our faith, we affirm the significance of their deeds and lives, and the importance of the faith and values they have passed on to us. These stories are one way -- a very effective way -- to instruct, to inspire, and to instill a sense of the faith that shapes us.

When we season the stories we tell with imagination, with a sense of fun, and with integrity, something very special happens.

Small children who know all about The Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs are often indignant if the storyteller somehow mixes up the stories, and puts the wolf huffing and puffing at the door of the three bears' cottage just as Grandmother is tasting the porridge -- but when they catch the joke they are enchanted.

Older children can hone their own storytelling skills with a Serial Story, where one person starts a story, only to stop in the middle of a sentence, leaving the next person to carry on the story, only to stop in the middle of a sentence, leaving someone else to carry on the story . . .

A good storyteller will be able to think quickly on her feet in the middle of the story, in case her listeners have questions about important things like: how can bears talk? or: how did Daniel Boone get to be friends with the Indians? or: why did Abram's name get changed to Abraham?

A good storyteller will use her voice and gestures to capture her listener's attention, and will choose vivid words and interesting details to make the story come alive for her listeners.

A good storyteller neither preaches nor lectures, knowing that a well told story will speak for itself.

A good storyteller will remember to tell stories about family members and friends with kindness and gentleness. Stories that deliberately embarrass or ridicule another person should have no place in our repertoire.

A good storyteller will tell stories about historical events and real people with integrity, that is, with some sense of the truth of what and how and when events happened. When we tell stories about real people, we owe them -- and those who hear the stories we are telling -- a balanced, truthful account.  That does not mean we leave out the drama and excitement, only that we do not sacrifice the truth to them.

Most of all, a good storyteller will have fun telling stories, knowing that she doesn't know where her stories will lead her listeners.  That, as they say, will be another story . . .

Holly Schurter is wife to John and mom of eight, grandma of ten, and a volunteer with Hearts at Home on the publications team as well as the radio team. She works as a free-lance writer, and in her spare time likes to read, bake, and play in the garden.

Originally published October 1, 1998 in The Pantagraph.