Originally posted at Pagan Families, 12/19/14. I received a complementary review copy of this book. Paul Smith, Parenting with a Story: Real Life Lessons in Character for Parents and Children to Share (AMACOM, 2014). 272 pages. Once upon a time my mother stepped out of a friend’s car and down an open sewer grate. Fortunately …
Category Archives: Telling Children Stories
Enchanted Composting
Originally posted at Pagan Families, 11/24/14. “I’m going out to the compost. Does anyone want to come with me?†I asked, and a moment of near panic followed when the kids thought I might get there without them. “Coming, coming!†piped the one year old, and the five year old chimed in, “Wait just a …
Place at the Table
Normally my ancestors’ stories sit just below the surface of everyday life, and the rhetorical whitecaps show you where. For example, when I was pregnant, Rebecca objected to the idea that the baby would use her old high chair. She used to stand on its flat wooden seat to reach the counter and cook, but …
Fingers, What Are You Doing?
This is a game for when your creative energy’s running dry. Rebecca invented it at the beginning of the summer when it became obvious that I didn’t want to hear “Tell me a story” any more, especially first thing in the morning. Instead, she asks, “Pinky, what are you doing?” Then she asks each of …
Book Review (Lengthy): Healing Stories For Challenging Behaviour
In Healing Stories For Challenging Behaviour (Stroud, UK: Hawthorne Press, 2008), Susan Perrow writes about the success she’s had using stories to inspire a shift in children’s behavior, in the contexts of parenting and Waldorf education.  Healing Stories gives advice for creating your own stories, as well as fifty plus stories that Perrow’s used. The …
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Making Up Stories
Rebecca and I make up stories in secret. I hear we’re not the only parents and children who do that, but how would I know? Joining a practice without much personal precedent is an eerie feeling. When you first start, you’re waiting for someone to catch you and tell you you’re doing it wrong, and …
Yule
When the nights are longest and you wake up at the watching hour, the way your ancestors did on nights like this, and there’s no way that you’re going back to sleep any time soon and you and your mama are both sick of trying, then it’s time to snuggle in the dark and tell …
Sad Story
The last two times I’ve left Rebecca with someone outside our extended family, she’s gotten so anxious she’s puked. The first time was in August, and I was perplexed and not sure what had happened. The second time was in October, right after she turned two, and I felt like a failure as a mother. …