A Happy Accident and Innocence

Several years back, Ol' Mother Hubbard and I took the poopies to Wendy's for lunch. The kidlet meal surprise was an audio of Mary Pope Osbourne's book, Dolphins at Daybreak. Bean was only about three and the Magic Treehouse books are third grade chapter books, so I didn't think it would be of much interest to him- wrong!

I put it in the CD player in the car, and low and behold, he was smitten-at three. Since then I've bought numerous audios of Miss Mary's and he loves each one better than the last.

If you haven't heard of them, they are books about two young children, Jack and Annie, who travel through time, via this magical treehouse. All the history, or information about people and places is true. He learns a lot through these CD's. Now, at the ripe old age of six, he's reading the chapter books on his own.

Though he loves to hear those stories and asks for them in the car, and loves to read the books and seems to pack one around with him all the time, he still wants to hear my stories.

Today when I picked him up from Playplace, he said, "It's pretty today, so as soon as we get home can you push me in the swing?"

"Sure, I will."

Of course, before I started pushing came the next request. "Can you tell me a story?"

"Sure, pick five characters." He wants to tell me all the little details of the story, including all the people he wants to show up. This can run into more folk then I can keep up with, so I've learned to set some limits.

Jack, Annie, Bean, Morgan and Oliver were to be in this tale and it was to take place during the American Revolution.

Not only does Bean want to pick the characters, but he wants them to stay "in character" as he views them. Gee whiz, this is work.

Anyway, I guess I inadvertently expressed some boldness in our Magic Treehouse boy Jack, and was quickly corrected and reminded that Annie is the bold one and Jack is the timid, scaredy cat.

So, to the innocence alluded to in the title. The next time Jack came up in the story, they were in the deep dark woods with a little patriot named Oliver, who was hiding and waiting for Paul Revere to show up and exchange his horse for a fresh one. Bean suggests that something's gone wrong with ol' Paul and they should take the horse and go after him. Remembering Jack's nature, I quickly had Jack tell Bean that it wouldn't be a good idea, and it was best to continue waiting.

The realtime Bean chirped in, "See, I told you he was scared of everything."

I don't know. I just thought that was so sweet that he obviously thought Jack's personality expressed itself in the story, with no help from the teller.

Hmm, I'm rambling.

I got a surprise phone call tonight. Pete was calling me because Kaye wanted to talk to me. Unbeknownst to me, she had surgery this morning and they amputated her toe. She cried when she told me. I feel sort of sick and out of sorts. Hence, the story above. Just trying to find my joy here.