The Big White Farmhouse

“My children wanted stories…real stories, stories they could taste and feel and see, stories that would challenge their imaginations, scare them silly, make them laugh, and yet resassure them of the rightness and order of all creation.” – page 69

I’m not a very good story teller.  I can’t seem to think on the fly, my plots are lame, and the witty punch lines are often lost of my preschool crowd.  But the crazy thing is, my boys still love it.

My latest (and most popular) “series” started after telling some great childhood stories of the tricks and good natured teasing between my siblings.  The boys couldn’t get enough.  So the “I’ll get you next time!” series was born.  Here’s the gist of one:

Once upon a time, there were two brothers.  The older brother wanted to play a game with the little brother, so he went to look for him.  He searched high and low, but couldn’t find him anywhere!  “Brother!  Brother!” he called, but there was no answer.  Tired from all his walking, he sat on his bed to rest.  Just then, his little brother JUMPED out of the closet and yelled, “SURPRISE!”  He scared his big brother silly!  The big brother wagged his finger and said….”I’ll get you next time!”

Super simple, but the boys love them.  And ask for more.  And more and more and more (you know how little ones are). 

In the end, the best part of story time is that I can actually see the bonds between my boys strengthening.  In the stories, they may tease each other and get in crazy predicaments, but they are a team.  Best friends.  Buddies who love and would do anything for each other. 

All because of a story told by their silly ol’ Mamma. 

“…many of us are just as confused as our children.  We fail to distinguish real needs from wants, and we focus on what we don’t have rather than on the abundant gifts that are already ours.  When we are consumers, we teach our childrenthat it is good to consume.  When we try to resolve conflicts or to buy happiness by spending money, we teach our children to look outside themselves when they feel needy…On the other hand, when we pause long enough to give thanks for the abundance of daily life, when we feel good about what we have right now, we teach our children a valuable lesson: We help them accept that they can’t have everything they want, and we reassure them they they do have everything they need.” 
– Katrina Kennison, pages 65-66

In the land of instant gratification, I think this topic is one that I have to revisit often.  When I see a new product on a blog or pin beautiful homes on Pinterest, it is easy to focus on what I don’t have.  Instead, I have to make sure I focus on gratitude…in the grand scheme of things, I do have everything I need. 

What are your thoughts on wants vs. needs?