The Little Old Man

I have started a story tradition in my family. It was somewhat inadvertantly. It all started when we had a power outage at the house several months ago. I told the kids a story before bedtime. It was a story about the little old man. His name is unspellable (I'll explain later). I had no idea the story would be so popular though. The next night they demanded another story. Specifically they demanded a little old man story. The Little Old Man, it seemed, was a hit. The plots are simple ones. Most of them are about everyday things but with a twist. Things like washing the car, going grocery shopping, or getting a haircut (last nights plot) form the kernel of the story. I don't tell them every night anymore. Mostly because I can't come up with enough ideas for an everynight occurence. The stories are one of the most sought after rewards for our kids. Oh yeah, I promised an explanation about his name. His Name is the musical note middle C. His whole family has musical notes for names. Don't ask me why. It just came to me when I started the story.

Last night they demanded another Little Old Man Story. The kids have a cousin visiting and they wanted the cousin to hear one of the stories. So I set them all down in the living room.

"What are the rules for the Little Old Man Story", I asked. My children know the Rules by Heart and follow them faithfully. If they don't then they wont hear the whole story. Like a chorus. My Two oldest shout out. "Be Still and Be Quiet during the story unless you ask us a question, or helping you make sound effects." My stories are interactive. Lots of sound effects and I ask the kids questions all through the story. Their answers can even affect the story in some pretty strange ways.

Then the story began. For roughly 20 minutes I had a rapt audience. The end result of the night? I have a new fan of the Little Old Man Stories.