Fairy Tales

On Saturday night, I related my badly recalled version of The Three Bears (edited 2 Mar 2010: oops! It's been so long since I've been a fairytale storytelling mum that I'd forgotten that it's actually called Goldilocks & The Three Bears. See lah!) . On Sunday night, I read out loud, Jack and The Beanstalk. To which young kid was I storytelling to? None. It was to my 13 year old son.

Public domain picture taken from compilation belonging to

http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images/

Yes, much as he has had my full attention in the last few years due to his P6 PSLE, I do admit that I skipped a whole chunk of fairy tale story telling during his early childhood days. I believe this was largely due to the fact that he was not as patient, sweet or gentle a kid as his sister was. His sister, who is older by 3 years, relished our story telling. She was precocious but still, night after night, we'd repeat her favourite; The Three Bears, until she herself, by the time she was just past 1, could relate the whole story to us. Nursery rhyme and flashcard time were fun and games for her. Barney, the purple dinosaur was probably her best friend.

Not so for the the boy. I put it down to him being a boy but he was definitely more fidgety and less interested in scantily clad maidens with wings or talking animals or objects. Also Mother has to admit that by the time the boy arrived, he was already the second child and not the only child. It made a lot of difference for a working mum to cope with two.

Public domain picture taken from compilation belonging to

http://karenswhimsy.com/public-domain-images/

There was also the revolutionary onslaught of the computer, THE MOUSE and all those interesting Slyfox (edited 2 Mar 2010: oops again! I stand corrected by the boy. It's SPYfox and not SLYfox!) and Putt Putt PC games which had grabbed the attention of his grubby hands and eyes. Although the boy started speaking and reading way slower than his sister (who started talking before 1 and walking just as she turned 1), once he could read, he had dived straight into scientifically inclined books. Prodigy he is not but he was definitely turned on by facts and not fiction. He still isn't quite able to regurgitate any Nursery Rhymes and the poor boy, now that he is older and less fidgety (although still!), realises that he's got this whole chunk of childhood missing in him.

Picture of 'The Boy' taken 1999

As a parent, I am at fault. I could have tied him to his bed rails and forced the whole darn Classic Fairy Tales book down his screaming throat. Therefore, to make up for lost time, I'm reading him a classic Fairy Tale every night until he knows at least the difference between Tom Thumb and Thumbelina. Of course he can read it himself! But you and I know one can never quite replace the soothing droning of one's mother's voice as you close your eyes and be rocked to sleep with, 'Once upon a time, in a faraway land......' or 'and they lived happily ever after'.