The Importance of Storytelling

 

“There were six,” he said, still watching the fire while the children’s whispers silenced and their squirming stilled in anticipation. “And each had the choice to accept or refuse. For even when worlds are held in your hands, you must choose to face what would destroy them, or to turn away. And with this choice,” he continued, “there are many other choices to be made.”

“They were brave and true,” one of the children called out. “They chose to fight!”

The old man smiled a little.

Valley of Silence

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Airman 1st Class Preston Cherry, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The importance of storytelling for preschool children - why it’s not just about keeping them entertained

LINK

How to organize that mountain of kid art and memorabilia

 

“I went by my mom’s yesterday.” Brian popped the top, took a swig. 

“Hauled off, to her surprised joy, not one but two boxes of junk she’s saved for me. What am I supposed to do with a crayon drawing of a house, a big yellow sun and stick people?” 

“I don’t know, but you can’t throw it out. According to my mother, dumping any childhood memorabilia they saved dares the gods.”  Ford got his own Coke. “I have three boxes.”

“I won’t forget it’s your fault I took possession of that stuff.” 

Tribute

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Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Determining which cards, photos, certificates, uniforms, pieces of art, trophies and schoolwork to keep — and making those choices without the foggiest idea of what your child will deem special and cherish as an adult — is mentally exhausting. If you’re not keeping up with those decisions all along, though, your house will be overrun.

 

But who should decide what’s remarkable and worth remembering?

Washington Post

Repurpose your Little Girl’s Old Pajamas

 

“Whenever you got sick as a kid, we had to dig out the same pajamas.”

 “The blue puppies.”

 “Yeah, the blue ones with puppies. When you outgrew them there was hell to pay.”

 “You cut them up and made me a little pillow out of the fabric. And it was okay again.”

Chasing Fire

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James Chew from Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Everyone has a favorite pair of cloth they just can’t wear but are not willing to part with. Some clothes, particularly your kid’s attire like your girl’s pajamas, carry many memories you probably still want to hold onto. So, instead of just lying in your wardrobe, how can you repurpose them?  Here’s a few ways that you can repurpose your little girl’s old pajamas.

Life your way

Easy Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make

On the table there was a papier-mâché reindeer with only one ear. 

Compliments of Freddie's second-grade art class.

Taming Natasha

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Yogendra Joshi, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Kids can show holiday spirit with their own handmade ornaments.

Better Homes & Gardens

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"Look at that," Ethan murmured, sliding a hand over Seth's hair as the boy bristled. "It's a picture of the house."

"Looks good," Phillip angled it to get a better view of the clever pencil sketch of the two-story house on the bay.

"Really good."

"It's no big deal."

"I decide what's a big deal around here," Cam kept a hand on Seth's shoulder as he studied the sketch. Yes, it was clever. The boy had talent. But more, it meant home. To all of them.

"And this qualifies. This is a very big deal. Who's it for?"

The Quinn's Christmas

Things Not to do When Your Toddler is Having a Tantrum

As she climbed out to open her trunk, she heard the whine of a cranky toddler and the frustrated muttering of weary parents.

"If you don't stop that right this minute, you won't get anything at all. I mean it, Timothy. We've had just about enough. Now get moving."

The child's response to that command was to go limp, sliding in a boneless heap onto the parking lot as his mother tugged uselessly at his watery arms. Ana bit her lip as it curved, but it was obvious the young parents didn't see the humor of it. Their arms were full of packages, and their faces were thunderous.

Timothy, Ana thought, was about to get a tanning-though it was unlikely to make him more cooperative. Daddy shoved his bags at Mommy and, mouth grim, bent down.

Charmed

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By Chirag Rathod - https://www.flickr.com/photos/chirag/2504941256, CC BY-SA 2.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31411850

Your reaction to a tantrum will drastically influence your child’s reaction

As parents and adults, we are not perfect. And sometimes when our toddler has a tantrum, we can react inappropriately ourselves.

Speech Blubs

🦅 Happy Birthday Griffin 🦁

"Happy birthday, baby."

Blue Dahlia

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FALL INTO THE STORY of GRIFFIN ENTRANCE

🦁

Wild One First Birthday Party Theme

The Best Ideas for KIDS

🦅

Eagle mini cheese balls

Hallmark

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"A griffin."

"Good eye."

"Symbol of strength—and vigilance."

She turned her head, cocked it so that she could see his face. 

"You know the

oddest things, Jack. But yeah, that's why I chose it."

Captive Star

Can people be saved from a terrible childhood?

"But answer this last question.
Do you think that bright, troubled child should be denied a full and
normal life as an adult because he had the bad luck to be conceived by a
heartless, perhaps even evil woman?"
"No." His breath shuddered out. "No, that's not what I think."
"No buts this time? No qualifications? Then I'll tell you that in my
professional opinion, I couldn't agree with you more. He deserves
everything he can grab, everything he can make, and everything we can
give him to show him that he's his own person and not the damaged
product of one vile woman."


Rising Tides

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By Mohamed Haddi [CC BY-SA 3.0  

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

US researchers have found early intervention can help prevent
negative experiences in infancy turning into long-term health risks

At bottom there is a revolutionary idea. It’s about moving 
from ‘what’s wrong with you?’ to ‘what happened to you?’

The Guardian

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"He knew them—better than I did. When he died, I figured they'd ship me off,
or I'd have to run off.
I never figured they'd keep me around.
They didn't know me, so what did they care? But they kept their promise to Ray. They changed their lives around for him,  and for me. They made a home—
pretty wild one at first with Cam running it."
For the first time since he'd begun, some of the misery lifted.  Humor slid into his voice.
"He was always blowing something up in the microwave or flooding
the kitchen. Guy didn't have a clue. I pushed at them, gave them—Cam mostly—as much grief as I could dish out. And I could dish out plenty. I kept waiting for them to kick me out, or smack me senseless.
But they stuck with me. They stood up for me, and when Gloria tried to hose them like she'd done with Ray,  they fought for me.
Even before we found out I was Ray's grandson, they'd made me one of them."


Chesapeake Blue

Could your child survive alone in the woods?

The kid had been out for a minimum of two hours, she thought. A lifetime for worried parents.

But toddlers didn’t have any real sense of time. Children of his age were very mobile, she mused, and didn’t always understand the concept of being lost. They wandered, distracted by sights and sounds, and had considerable endurance, so it might be hours of that wandering before Hugh tired out and realized he wanted his mother.

She watched a rabbit skitter away into the brush. Peck had too much dignity to do more than spare it a passing glance.

But a little boy? Fiona thought. One who loved his “Wubby,” who enjoyed animals? One his mother said was fascinated by the forest? Wouldn’t he want to try to catch it, probably hoping to play with it?

He’d try, wouldn’t he, to follow it? City boy, she thought, enchanted with the woods, the wildlife, the other of it all.

How could he resist?

The Search 

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There's a hierarchy of survival skills that are appropriate for children.

For any parent, the idea of your children wondering lost and alone in the wilderness is a terrifying one. A family in California had their worst fears come true on March 1, 2019.

Two sisters, ages 8 and 5, miraculously survived 44 hours alone in the woods in freezing temperatures. But it wasn't just luck that kept them safe.

mother nature network

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“Where'd you find him?” Trent asked Nathaniel quietly.

“Up on the cliffs, holed up in a crevice in the rocks.”

“Good God.” C.C. shuddered. “Did he spend the night up there?”

“Looked that way. I had this feeling, I can't explain it. And there he was.”

Megan's Mate

Kids Totally Nailed Their Letter To Santa

Dear Santa,

We have been good.

Zeke wanted to put in very good, but Zack, the conscience, rejected the idea.

All I Want for Christmas

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Florida Memory [No restrictions or Public domain], 

via Wikimedia Commons

Spare a thought for Santa. He gets millions of letters a year to trawl through, with the vast majority of them boring and formulaic along the lines of “Dear Santa can I have an X-Box for Christmas please.”

However from time to time there are little nuggets of genius or hilarity that must surely make the jolly old guy crack a smile. Kids are known for speaking their mind, and are especially forthright when it comes to making requests (or demands), so we here at Bored Panda have decided to make a list of the funniest, frankest and most bizarre Santa Letters kids have ever sent.

Bored Panda

Refugee children see snow for first time

The world her mother told her of from time to time was nothing

more than a fairy tale to her. Snow was just something

that danced inside a little glass ball.

Sweet Revenge 

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Footage of two Eritrean children enjoying their first snowfall in Canada has been viewed millions of times on social media. 

The 42-second clip, taken by Rebecca Davies, shows the boy and girl jumping in their oversized jackets as the snowflakes come down.

Dancing around the back garden of their Toronto home, the appear to marvel at the sight. 

INDEPENDENT

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Adrianne thought of the little glass ball and her brother. 

All at once she wanted to lay her head in her mother's  lap and weep. She wanted to go home, to see her  grandmother and her aunts,to smell the smells of the harem. 

But there was no going back.

"Will it snow?" she asked.

"Sooner or later."

Sweet Revenge

memories as infants might not be lost

The light from the lamp slanted over her face, caught something, something in her eyes that jiggled at the corners of his memory.

"Did you have a picture on the wall? Flowers, white flowers in a blue vase?"

Her fingers tightened on the brush. "Yes, in my bedroom in New York. One of my watercolors. Not a very good one."

"And you had colored bottles on a table. Lots of them, different sizes and stuff."

"Perfume bottles." Her throat was closing again, so she was forced to clear it. "I used to collect them."

"You let me sleep in your bed with you." His eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the vague blips of memory. Soft smells, soft voice, colors and shapes. "You told me some story, about a frog."

The Frog Prince. Into her mind flashed the image of how a little boy had curled against her, the bedside lamp holding back the dark for both of them, his bright-blue eyes intense on her face as she'd calmed his fears with a tale of magic and happily ever after.

"You had—when you came to visit, you had bad dreams. You were just a little boy."

Inner Harbor

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By © Nevit Dilmen, CC BY-SA 3.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28857001

Memory traces from our earliest years might stay in our brains.

Most people don't remember anything before the age of 3, but a new study out of New York University suggests that memories formed in our early years might still be latent in our brains. With the right triggers, those memories might get unlocked, reports New Scientist.

Mother Nature Network

9 baby animals stand up (or walk!) for the first time

Then Chris jerked back as the foal shook and shivered and tried out her legs for the first time. 
"She stood up!" Amazed, he stared at his mother. 
"She stood right up. Cathy Jackson's little sister didn't stand up for months and months." 
It pleased him enormously to find his horse superior. 

The Last Honest Woman

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By Jon_York, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48375869

Human babies take a long time to do things. They just hang out, letting their parents carry them around for months before they even think about hoisting themselves up and taking a step or two.

Animal babies are a whole different story. 

mother nature network

What to do with your kids ahead of Valentine's Day

"I made something for you in school." 

Embarrassed, Radley held his hands behind his back.

"Yeah?" Mitch set his coffee down. "Do I get to see it?"

"It's Valentine's Day, you know." 

After a moment's hesitation, he handed Mitch a card fashioned out of construction paper and blue ribbon. 

"I made Mom this heart with lace stuff, but I thought the ribbon was better for guys." Radley shuffled his feet. "It opens."

Not certain he could trust his voice, Mitch opened the card. Radley had used his very best block printing.

"To my best friend, Mitch. I love you, Radley." 

He had to clear his throat, and hoped he wouldn't make a fool out of himself. 

"It's great. I, ah, nobody ever made me a card before."

"Really?" Embarrassment faded with surprise. 

"I make them for Mom all the time. She says she likes them better than the ones you buy."

"I like this one a lot better," Mitch told him.

Local Hero

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By Jim Pennucci from Hope, USA - Painting, CC BY 2.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19451952

February 14 is a few days away and while most parents will cringe at their idea of their little children 'in love', the truth is love has more dimensions than mainstream media chooses to project.

There is the love between parent and child, a love for grandparents, pets, for teachers and friends.

Love can be multi-dimensional. It also can add to your life.

IOL

Little kids think birthday parties actually make you get older

"We're having a party," Aubrey told her and put both her hands on Sybill's cheeks 

to ensure her full attention. 

"I'll have a party next time when I'm three. You can come."

Inner Harbor

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By Patrick Subotkiewiez from BAZIEGE, FRANCE - 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/28781447@N04/8355725866/, CC BY 2.0,

 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29241457

Adorable munchkins fundamentally misunderstand how times passes.

This kid could stay a baby forever if she would just stop having parties!

MSN

Letters to Santa From Kids

Dear Santa, 

We have been good. 

Zeke wanted to put in very good, but Zack, the conscience, rejected the idea. 

All I Want for Christmas

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By Archives New Zealand from New Zealand - Letter to Santa, CC BY-SA 2.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51248704

Every year, kids all over the world write letters to Santa Claus wishing him a Merry Christmas, listing their holiday gift wishes, and well, asking and telling him things that only hilarious kids could think of. From commenting on his appearance to ratting out their parents who say they "can't have a dog," these letters to Saint Nick are going to make you laugh out loud.

MSN

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You have lots of time to find the mom and make the biks so you can enjoi the hollidays. Thank you. Love, Zeke and Zack.

All I want for Christmas

Lies about Santa? They could be good for your child

“It’s her.” He hissed it to his brother, rapping Zeke hard in the ribs. 

“Who?” 

“It’s the mom.” Zeke stopped playing with the action figure he’d had stuck in his pocket 
and looked up onstage, where Nell was now directing the alto section. 

“Kim’s teacher is the mom?”

“She has to be.” Deadly excited, Zeke kept his voice in a conspiratorial whisper. 

“Santa’s had enough time to get the letter. She was singing a Christmas song, 
and she’s got yellow hair and a nice smile. She likes little boys, too. I can tell.”

“Maybe.” Not quite convinced, Zeke studied Nell. 

She was pretty, he thought. And she laughed  a lot, even when some of the big kids 
made mistakes. But that didn’t mean she liked dogs or baked cookies. 

“We can’t know for sure yet.” 

Zack huffed out an impatient breath. “She knew us. She knew which was which. Magic.” 

His eyes were solemn as he looked at his brother. 

“It’s the mom.” 

“Magic,” Zeke repeated, and stared,  goggle-eyed, at Nell. 

“Do we have to wait till Christmas to get her?” 

“I guess so. Probably.” 

That was a puzzle Zack would have to work on.

All I Want for Christmas

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By kodomo no tomo - kodomo no tomo, Public Domain, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3137790

Developmental psychology suggests that fantastical beliefs in children are associated with positive developmental outcomes. 

And parents need not worry, children will bust the Santa myth themselves, when the time is right.

THE CONVERSATION

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Just the bikes, Dad, they told him. 

Santa’s making them, and he’s taking care of the big present. 

What big present? Mac wondered. 
No interrogation, no tricks, had pulled out that particular answer. 
For once his kids were closed up tight. 

That was an idea that disturbed him. 
He knew that in another year, two if he was lucky, they’d begin to question 
and doubt the existence of Santa and magic. 

The end of innocence. 

Whatever it was they were counting on for Christmas morning, 

he wanted to see that they found it under the tree.

All I Want for Christmas