11 December 2023
Mom, do you want to read me a story?
Reading time 2,5'
Children need their parents and want to have them with them as much as possible.
The working parent lives with this guilt and this psychological burden every day. Unfortunately, there is no solution to this “problem”. A parent who is absent from work misses many moments in their child’s life.
However, they do not lose the child’s love or contact, because they try to make the most of the time they have during the day. Moms or dads who are absent hug their child tighter because they need their hug and warmth and understand how good it is for them and for their children. Parents who are absent do not stop saying I love you and do not mind filling their clothes with markers. Parents who are absent cannot wait to hear their child ask them to read a story together to fall asleep.
When my son was little, story time was a special time for me too. I couldn’t wait for him to ask me to travel and get lost in the worlds of fairy tales and transform into heroes. I remember, we would turn off the lights in the children’s room and turn on a baby toy that filled the walls with stars. He would lie on the bed and I would climb next to him and lean my back against the wall.
He would choose the fairy tale he wanted on his own and give it to me. I had to do all the heroes with a different voice and change the development where he didn’t like it. Some nights I was so tired from work that my voice wouldn’t come out, but I didn’t want to lose the fairy tale. It was our moment and it was only ours. The whole process exuded a warmth and intimacy. Besides the fact that I believed very much in the educational power of reading and in the little surreal journeys that make children’s imaginations gallop and go beyond limits, I felt that storytelling brought us closer. It was as if I could listen to my child’s secret desires. He looked into my eyes with such interest, almost in awe. I think he was trying to hold back my features so that he would remember me the next day when I would be absent from his upbringing.
On the occasion of the stories, I also asked about his day. I stole the secrets of the kindergarten and later the school, in an indirect way. In a strange way, he felt more comfortable talking about his “experiences” and feelings on the occasion of a story that was not his own. That’s how I learned about his first love at the kindergarten, Nicole, who eventually married Sotiris! Through our evening stories, he also solved a series of “childish” questions. What does it mean to get married, mom? Why did Cinderella’s mom die? Where is the time that Miles lives in? How does Peter Pan fly? and many other priceless questions.
Some evenings I would say to him, come and read to me today and we would switch places. He couldn’t read but he loved describing the photos and illustrations so much. His imagination was inexhaustible and sometimes the story would even surpass the original. He would make noises, get passionate, get angry with the villains and in the end he would choose the hero who would transform to sleep in his “costume”. He would say Goodnight mom to me and I would have to say Goodnight Zorro.
Years passed but fairy tales remain a point of reference between us. It was as if they strengthened our relationship and took it a step further. For him, in addition to being an important emotional gift, they were also an invaluable educational tool. Without any effort, he learned to express himself, to describe, to color his words, to think “outside strict boxes”, to talk about what he feels, to ask and receive answers. For me, they were an opportunity to get to know my child better, to rediscover my childhood, to “unload” the burdens of work and to express my love in every way and without any hesitation. Finally, they created wonderful memories and stories that, he may also tell his own children.
That is why I suggest that you find time and strength every night, to give your children and yourself these special moments. Do not let everyday life carry you away and disorient you. No matter how late you get home from work, the children are waiting for you with the same enthusiasm to play, sing, draw, and transform into fairy tale heroes. After all, you write the fairy tale of your own life!