Tuesday, August 30, 2005
My kid doesn't willingly surrender to sleep. He thrashes, kicks, flips and does anything possible to avoid succumbing.
In defense, we resort to boring stories. After a lengthy account of the day ("and then we went to the store. You rode in the cart, and we bought bananas...") we slow things down. Here's a sample:
"And then we looked for rocks to throw. Dadda found a rock, and you threw it at a tree. You found a rock, and threw it into the grass. Dadda found another rock, and you threw it up high. Then you saw a stick, and threw it into the rocks."
There can be no plot, no story arc, no villains, heck it's better to avoid adjectives, even. The slightest hint of excitement will have him popping up like a gopher, interjecting commentary like Bob Costas.
It's amazing how your mind veers off into weirdness, laying there in the dark next to your small son, listening to his breathing slow. Suddenly you realize you're talking about edging the lawn, or the birthday gift you have to buy. Hey, as long as it's boring.
Sometimes he doesn't buy it. After a particularly long, sleepy pause, I occasionally hear, "Momma?" Coming up with boring stories is harder than you'd think.
In defense, we resort to boring stories. After a lengthy account of the day ("and then we went to the store. You rode in the cart, and we bought bananas...") we slow things down. Here's a sample:
"And then we looked for rocks to throw. Dadda found a rock, and you threw it at a tree. You found a rock, and threw it into the grass. Dadda found another rock, and you threw it up high. Then you saw a stick, and threw it into the rocks."
There can be no plot, no story arc, no villains, heck it's better to avoid adjectives, even. The slightest hint of excitement will have him popping up like a gopher, interjecting commentary like Bob Costas.
It's amazing how your mind veers off into weirdness, laying there in the dark next to your small son, listening to his breathing slow. Suddenly you realize you're talking about edging the lawn, or the birthday gift you have to buy. Hey, as long as it's boring.
Sometimes he doesn't buy it. After a particularly long, sleepy pause, I occasionally hear, "Momma?" Coming up with boring stories is harder than you'd think.
