I think I mentioned this briefly once before, but I’m going to talk about it again because it’s still going on. August loves books, always has, since he could sit up on his own, it was the very first “toy” he could go for. Now it’s his favorite pastime and we’ve been slowing making our way through the “Winnie-the-Pooh” stores. But what has also come about is his desire for us to tell him stories. I don’t know when this started but I think it was about four-ish months ago he just turned to me one day and said, “Mommy, can you tell me a story?” You’d think the fact that I am hoping to one day get paid for writing that I would relish this proposal – well, think again. The pressure is too much, I tell you, too much.
Every time he asks me to tell him a story, I freeze up and do everything I can do distract him and forget that he’s even asked me to tell him a story. Lately, his memory has been a lot better, and he’s not as easy to trick. The problem I’m having is I don’t just want to make up some stupid story that no one would appreciate if it were retold. I keep thinking that I must think of a story that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to repeat. The truth is though, August would like anything, really. What I should be doing is letting go of my hang-ups about stories and just try to tell him one that he’d like. So, here’s the story I came up with yesterday…it’s not good so brace yourself, but I figure I might as well share it with you. Two things you have to understand though. August told me he wanted a story about a cow, and when August names things everything just gets an “ie” at the end, so cow becomes Cow-ie. Okay, ready? Go easy on me, and remember only a three-year-old has to appreciate it.
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a cow named Cow-ie and he lived across the street from a swimming pool. Every day Cow-ie awoke to the sound of kids splashing around in that pool, and it taunted Cow-ie. Cow-ie was dying to know what was so much fun, and so he bought himself a pair of binoculars. From that day on Cow-ie got up every morning, peered over the fence of his barn and watched the kids longingly through his binoculars. Cow-ie didn’t know how to swim, but always wanted to learn. He thought that if he watched the kids long enough that he’d pick up just enough to get by one day, and he could join them for a swim.
Months went by and finally Cow-ie decided he had watched long enough, and he was going to swim with the other kids. The next morning he woke up and said to his mommy, “Mommy, I need a bathing suit.”.
“You need a what?” said his Mommy.
”I need a bathing suit.”
“What do you need a bathing suit for?”
“To swim with the kids in the pool across the street.”
“Oh of course.” So that very day they went shopping for a bathing suit. But not just any bathing suit, Cow-ie needed one with four legs, since cows have four legs. Finally, after a long day of shopping they found the perfect bathing suit. It had four legs, and was red and blue with white polka dots. The next morning Cow-ie got up, put on his bathing suit and started to head out the door. His mother stopped him and said, “Please bring hippo-ie with you because I know he can swim and if you need anything he can help you.” “Oh, okay, mom sure thing.” And off Cow-ie and Hippo-ie went.
As Cow-ie approached the pool the kids who were splashing about got very quiet and each of them was silently wondering what this crazy Cow as doing near their pool. The next thing they knew Cow-ie pulled his goggles over his eyes and jump in the pool making the biggest splash the kids had ever experienced. All the kids laughed and went over to Cow-ie to meet him. They loved him so much, and kept begging him to keep jumping in the pool for more splashing. The kids and Cow-ie spent the whole day playing and at the end of the day the kids said to Cow-ie “You must come back tomorrow.”
And so he did, and every day after that.
The end.
Tags: cow, hippo, SAHM, stories, stories for toddlers, toddlers, Winnie the Pooh, writing
