| One of the greatest contributors to hyperactivity in | | | | words each. |
| children is the absence of connection to parents at a | | | | Sometimes I really missed the mark. I would watch the |
| heart-to-heart level. If you have a child that has | | | | girls as I grasped for a thread or struggled to find |
| challenges with being attentive or hyper active, most | | | | some humor, their faces blank, especially as Sophie |
| likely you've allowed them to be cared for by a screen | | | | grew older and more discerning. Other times however |
| of some sort instead of by you or a loving caregiver. | | | | I felt like Hemingway, or Mark Twain, the words just |
| Although children are drawn to the video games and | | | | pouring from my mind, my daughters' eyes riveted to |
| computers these replacements for us as parents only | | | | mine. On several occasions I was so impressed by my |
| put them into sensory overload. What they truly desire | | | | stories that I could barely finish them because of my |
| is to connect with you at the heart. They want to | | | | tears. |
| know about you and that you know about them, | | | | There were stories of death, stories of courage, and |
| understand them and of course love them through all | | | | stories of reckless abandonment that had my girls |
| their challenges. | | | | giggling till they were kicking their legs. There were |
| Storytelling may sound like a strange antidote to | | | | words like lipstick, semi-truck and fairy all in the same |
| hyperactivity but it is a powerful cure for what your | | | | story. There were times when it took me nearly ten |
| overstimulated child may be suffering from - | | | | minutes to begin my story and times when I began |
| disconnection to you and your heart. | | | | with great authority in only 30 seconds. |
| One of my greatest joys as a father has been | | | | Those fifteen to thirty minutes with my girls were |
| centered around bedtime. The first few years | | | | precious times. They fueled my creativity and allowed |
| however were a bit harrowing, tip toeing out of | | | | me to connect with them from the heart. Although |
| Sophie's bedroom, making the disastrous mistake of | | | | reading to our children can be a wonderful time as well, |
| placing my foot on that one squeaky spot on the floor. | | | | telling a story, whether it be fictional or something from |
| "Daddy! Where are you going?" This was after | | | | our past bonds us together like an epoxy glue made |
| cuddling with her for nearly thirty minutes, checking her | | | | from love. Story time honors our Spirit by allowing It to |
| breathing, thinking it sounded like that deep, "I'm in beta | | | | flow into the hearts of others. |
| sleep now, it's safe to leave" type of breathing! | | | | What greater time than now to tell your children a |
| But alas we made it through that challenging stretch | | | | story. Whether they're two or eighteen there is a story |
| and when Sophie was about four years old, Cynthia | | | | within you that they will connect with. There is a story |
| and I began taking turns telling her stories at bedtime. | | | | about a special Christmas you experienced, a story |
| Jammies were on, teeth were brushed and she | | | | about a time you really struggled or there's a story that |
| anxiously waited on her bed for this weekly | | | | you'll create from three simple words when combined |
| entertainment. | | | | together brings to their mind a glorious vision of |
| We didn't start from scratch. Sophie helped us a little | | | | sugarplums or fairies or angels! |
| with some creative words. We asked her to give us | | | | Whether story time is at bedtime, midday, or around |
| three words that we would magically weave into the | | | | the campfire, it matters not. Stories, face to face, heart |
| story, the more random they were the better. I don't | | | | to heart, is a powerful antidote to the disease of |
| take credit for this style of storytelling. It was given to | | | | disconnection. In this day of texting, video games and |
| Cynthia from a fellow home schooling mother and | | | | computers, where children are disconnecting from |
| inspired by the Waldorf approach to education. It's a | | | | another human being, stories more than ever, are |
| great way to involve a young child in the creative | | | | crying out to be told. |
| process and it made for some very unusual, | | | | Tell your stories - your children will become calmer, |
| sometimes very funny and occasionally somewhat | | | | more attentive and more creative as will you! You will |
| scary stories. | | | | begin a foundation of love and connection that will |
| When our second daughter was around three years | | | | serve them and you for the rest of your life. The |
| old we began to include her into the process and | | | | intensity of video games and computers will NEVER |
| asked her for three words as well. Being over five | | | | replace a mother's or father's love and involvement in |
| years apart in age made for very diverse words and | | | | their child's life. |
| a total of six random words was about my limit as far | | | | Want your child to thrive? Give yourself to them, find |
| as memory was concerned. On some nights when the | | | | the time to give your love and attention and your |
| creativity was waning I had to cheat and write them | | | | creativity through stories and you'll be amazed at the |
| down! Now if you have three or four fairly young | | | | connection you will begin to feel and the change in their |
| children you may want them to contribute one or two | | | | behavior you'll begin to see. |