Stories are extremely powerful – I guess that’s why Jesus often used them to teach.
I loved reading stories to my children, and now, my grandchildren. These stories have become part of our family culture. Years later, our family still quotes from our favourite stories which brings me joy.
Stories teach in a pain-free way. When I was teaching Canadian history to our children, one of our daughters knew historical events that I didn’t know, simply because of the historical fiction she had read.
When a couple of our daughters were young teenagers, I had them read a few different novels as a springboard to casually discuss relationships and love. In one of the novels, the heroine followed her infatuated feelings and got herself into trouble. In another novel, the main characters really disliked each other from some childhood interaction, but had to work together on a journey and grew to like each other platonically, and then as they continued to see the merit in each other’s character, grew to love each other in a healthy way, ending in marriage. And there was a third novel with a relationship that was built on respect – the characters knew each other well, and there was sacrifice for the other person. We were able to discuss these differences, as well as the lust that some evil characters had toward the silly, infatuated girl from the first novel (she escaped) and what that is about.
I didn’t have them write an essay on the matter (for my children, writing about the novel that was just read, or the field trip that they just experienced, brought negativity to an otherwise enjoyable experience) – we simply casually discussed it.
While we enjoy reading our children stories, we also tell stories from our past, which our children love to hear.
But besides reading good stories to our children, and telling them true stories from our past, I highly recommend making up stories – stories with them as the hero. I’ve told stories where I use their name as the main character. The story might be about a situation where the main character (them) experiences a struggle, not wanting to do the right thing, but then they do, and it turns out well.
I’ve made up stories about everything from eating foods they don’t like to a situation where they obey their parents in spite of the temptation not to, while another character in the story doesn’t, but it doesn’t turn out well for that child. Or where they are the one that, in spite of their shyness, reaches out to the new child.
The possibilities are endless. Whether you are working on the concept of sharing or their frustration with a certain subject in their homeschooling or getting along with their siblings, you can put it into a made-up story and reinforce in this indirect way values and lessons you are teaching.
Years ago, when our son, Daniel, was four years old and often expressing that he was bored (as his older siblings were all doing schoolwork), I made up (and typed out) the story, “Daniel’s Dilemma,” in which little Daniel is bored and his mom suggests that he goes around the house and sees what things he can do for his siblings in secret. Skeptical, Daniel tries this and finds satisfaction in doing so. By the end of the story, his siblings are also making their secret serving plans. Over the years, whenever I would pull this story out and read it to my children, it would prompt a rash of secret serving around our home. *
Stories are powerful, whether historical fiction, character building, stories from your childhood, or made-up stories.
Once upon a time…
* * *
* (I finally turned this “Daniel’s Dilemma” into a quality picture book, illustrated by my talented artist daughter-in-law, which you can purchase from the “My Books” page, or directly from me if you’re in Ottawa.)
