Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Everyone's a critic
Wriggly, at dinner table: Can I have a mummy story?
Me: But you didn't like the mummy story I told you last night.
Wriggly: Can I have a better mummy story? Last night's mummy story wasn't very good, really.
Me: Well OK. What would make a better mummy story?
Wriggly: Will it have a throttle it in it?
Me: Jemima Throttlebot? Would you like her to be in it?
Wriggly: Yes!
Me: OK, what about Jemima Throttlebot's mummy?
Wriggly: Yes!
Me: And can there be a tiger.
Wriggly: No!
Me: Oh. Can there be a dragon?
Wriggly: No! Just Jemima and her mummy.
Me: Oh. You're not making it very easy to make it a better mummy story. Can they go somewhere exciting?
Wriggly: Yes!
Me: Phew. Can they go to Barbados?
Wriggly: They can go to a tree!
Me: ahhh
Wriggly: Yes! A tree! And then the tree will fall over on Aunty Joyce's clothesline and then she'll have to get a new one!
Me: Um, OK, well when it's bedtime.
Wriggly: Yes, a better mummy story!
Dinner completed, etc, Wriggly snuggled up in bed I undertake the challenging task of constructing a story featuring two characters and a v limited narrative arch and making it better than last night's.
Me: ...and then they went home, the end.
Wriggly: I didn't really like that story. I need another story, a better story.
Me: Good night.
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2 comments:
Ahh. Quit your whining. I have 63 characters in the ongoing bedtime saga (episode 400 was in September). Modelled on the US wandering hero shows of my youth (Littlest Hobo, BJ and the Bear etc).
Every animal toy in the house is involved. #1 (6) makes a model of a bacterium (don't ask) out of paper and tape and requests that "they" meet this new character and for a few nights the new character has a lead role. Seriously, have you ever tried adlibbing credible dramatic dialogue for a bacterium?
Sometimes I feel like breaking the habit of 20+ years and getting a TV to sedate them instead of exhausting myself. Othertimes I realise that if the worst thing that I do is snuggle in bed between two bodies with icy feet and tell them a story, then things are OK.
I think I must be getting better - last two attempts have received some approval. They featured Fluffy the cat and last night Clawrence the glasses.
Kindly get yourself a handle as per our comments policy - just an initial on an Anon comment is fine, just helps greatly to tell people apart. :-)
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