Tell Us a Story, Mama

My little sweeties

Everyday after lunch at our house, is ALWAYS rest time.  If not for their sakes, for my sanity!  Plus, some days, I just need a nap.  My three year old still takes naps, so she falls asleep every afternoon.  My five year old doesn't fall asleep anymore, but she must have an official "rest time".  She either looks at books or plays her Leapster while the other two sleep.  I try to time it out where the baby will take her afternoon nap when the older two girls take their naps, so I can have some quiet time.

Occasionally, before leaving the girls' room at naptime, they will ask me to tell them a story about when they were little.  So, I will think of a story that will make them laugh from when one of them were smaller.  Yesterday, I decided to make up a fictional story.  I also decided that I would give it a storyline that they could identify with....oh boy...

So, I started...

One day, Baby Bunny wanted to go play in the woods.  So, she asked Mama Bunny.  But Mama Bunny said, "Not today.  I have laundry to do, so I can't watch you if you're outside.  You need to play in your room a little while."  Baby Bunny sadly goes to her room and begins to play.  But then a thought comes to her.  If Mama Bunny is doing laundry she won't notice if Baby Bunny slips out to go play.

I know, I know...how do bunnies even do laundry, right??  Well, at this point they are smiling and gazing at their wonderful storyteller of a mother.

So, Baby Bunny slips out the door and goes to play in the woods.  Meanwhile, Mama Bunny is doing laundry and working in the laundry room when she finds a birthday present for Baby Bunny that she forgot to give her on her birthday.

Yes, this happened at Christmas this year...

Smiling, she walks to Baby Bunny's room, knowing that she will be thrilled with a late birthday present.  When she opens Baby Bunny's bedroom door, Baby Bunny isn't in there.

At this point, the girls' eyes are wide open.  They are thinking, "Baby Bunny is in trouble now!!"

Mama Bunny searches the house everywhere and Baby Bunny is nowhere to be seen!  She starts to cry because she is so worried about Baby Bunny.  Just about that time Baby Bunny comes through the door smiling from all the fun she had outside.  Mama Bunny asks her where she had been.  Baby Bunny tells Mama Bunny that she was outside looking for her shoes.  Mama Bunny told her that she knew she was not telling the truth.  Not only had Baby Bunny been disobedient and gone outside without permission, but she had also lied about where she had been.  Mama Bunny told Baby Bunny that she was in trouble and she also had to give away her new present that she had found. 

I look at my five year old and she is listening very, very intently.  I was so glad she was enjoying the story.

Mama Bunny tells Baby Bunny to go to her room and retrieve the present.  Baby Bunny sadly walks to her room and gets the present that once was hers and brings it to Mama Bunny. 

This time when I look at my five year old, she has tears in her eyes.  Despite the fact that my story wasn't over yet, she jumps up from the floor and runs to my arms sobbing on my shoulder.  When I asked her why she was crying, she said through sobs, "Baby Bunny lost her surprise!!!"  I rubbed her back and tried to soothe her.  I looked at my three year old (for those of you that know my three year old know that this is soooo her personaility) and she was smiling and slightly, ever so slightly, laughing at my five year old (grrr...) 

After I calmed my five year old down, I knew I had to quickly get to a happy ending.  So...

Baby Bunny opens her present and it is a doll.  She gives her doll to a little bunny who didn't have any dolls.  Then one whole year later, at her next birthday party, Mama Bunny comes out with a present and tells her to close her eyes.  When Baby Bunny opens them, she rips open the present and it is a brand-new babydoll!  Better than the other one!!  Everyone at the party cheered and cheered!

This brought a teary smile on my five year old's face!  At last, I had turn the situation around...or so I thought. 

I have to tell you that I am a stickler on my girls getting up from bed.  I keep a digital clock in their bedroom, and they cannot get up in the morning until the hour reads 7 and they cannot get up from naptime until the hour reads 3.  This has also helped my three year old with numbers and taught my five year old that there are '59 minute until there's a new hour'.  Someone stares at that clock...

Well...a few minutes before it was time for them to get up I hear a little girl crying in the back.  I walk back to their room and there she is, crying again.  When asked what was wrong, she said, "I'm sad about Baby Bunny!"  She then asked if I would tell her a story about Baby Pony and not make it like the Baby Bunny story.  I felt horrible!

This went on all evening.  At the supper table, she told her daddy all about Baby Bunny.  She asked again about the Baby Pony story.  I could not send them to bed that night without telling a new story about Baby Pony.  So, I made up a new story with Baby Pony as the main character and it was all happiness!!  There was no problem, therefore, no solution, therefore, no climax to this story.  However, it made my sweet girl smile and that was ok : )

Hope my blunder makes you smile!