Once upon a time (9 months ago) a little boy of 21 months and his grandmother went for a walk at the edge of the woods on a bright sunny day. Suddenly the little boy pointed into the woods and said, "monster, monster". Grandmother looked but didn't see anything that resembled a monster so she consoled the little boy and they walked on.
Everytime they passed a certain area at the edge of the woods the little boy would point and once again say, "monster, monster".
Time passed (as in 10 minutes) while Grandmother pointed out oak and maple leaves and their beautiful fall colors but the little boy insisted there was a monster in the woods. Suddenly Grandmother looked deep into the edge of the woods (and her imagination) and she discovered the 'monster', a stump.
A stump that resembled a 'monster' in the imagination of a little boy. Grandmother immediately reassured the little boy the 'monster' was nothing more than a stump but the little boy would have 'none of that nonsense' so she resorted to encouraging him to 'pet' and talk to Mr. Stump. A few minutes passed with Grandmother hugging, petting, talking to Mr. Stump and hoping none of the neighbors would see her and think she 'lost it'.
Finally the little boy approached Mr. Stump and they became friends.
Grandmother forgot to mention to the parents of the little boy that he had a new friend nor did she realize he could see Mr. Stump from his bedroom window. The following week the parents said in passing that the little boy was talking about a stump and that's when Grandmother realized she had not mentioned the adventure at the edge of the woods. They had a good laugh. Over the winter the little boy insisted snow be removed from Mr. Stump and when it rains he says Mr. Stump is getting a bath.
He also insists visiting Mr. Stump on a regular basis so it came as no surprise that his Grandfather had to spend time with Mr. Stump during their Little Adventure.
Footnote: I am always amazed at the imagination of a child and thankful I have kept my imagination intact although adult logic sometimes overshadows that vivid childlike imagination. The little boy and I have traveled the high seas in search of treasure (backyard stones and rocks) and we never know our next adventure. Who knows? Perhaps we will encounter a few cowboys and Indians or discover a new frontier or....well?....we'll allow our imaginations to take us to far away places for new discoveries and adventures.
Memories in the making...
1 comment:
I love it. Some of my fondest memories of my mother are from my early childhood. She was sometimes quite skilled at stretching out on the front yard and seeing shapes in the clouds, and she had an ongoing oral story series about the magic bicycle...
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