Story Bean Giant

The greatest gift to humanity is imagination. Something I could get lost in forever, but forever was not always a focus. You see, when I was younger, I was told to get my thoughts together to be an adult. Studying, getting good grades, and be gainfully employed so that I could teach another generation how to do the same thing. As the next generation came about in mid-2009, late 2011, and early 2014, I realized that I liked them just the way they were. I loved that their imagination was so contagious that it ignited my imagination.

I had long been an adult and only thought adult things. My love of creating was halted when I got married at 22 and had my first child 6 years later. Life was all about advancing and making the right moves in life. That all changed when I became a stay-at-home mom, and every day was about how I could get through the day without multiple breakdowns. I would haul all three of my kids into the car and drive. The further I drove. The more they cried, argued over a toy, or just made great noises worthy of a sound effects contract.

I decided as a homeschool mom that car rides should have a little more nutritional value. So, I began to make up stories. Goofy little stories that had plenty of room for them to imagine how the characters would look and act. One day we found a CD of a story that was similar to my stories, but they were voiced by actors. They loved the stories! The best story was the ones read by kids. My children would laugh and be quiet as they heard another little voice over the radio. Pretty soon the car was filled with stories of their own. I mean, it got so serious that they would ask me to turn down Michael Jackson so that they could tell their own stories. Come on guys Michael Jackson? Where was the respect?

The next step was critical. I did what every parent with a smartphone would do in any situation where they want to remember little, big, embarrassing, funny little moments of their children. I recorded their conversational story talk. Shame on me, but I thought their content was good! I played the recordings back to them, and they were hooked on hearing their voices, but even more hooked on adding to their stories and making new ones. Who would have thought I produced little storytelling perfectionist!

Stories, writing, and any type of visual learning is an awesome way to reach into the imagination and pull out a little person’s greatness. I searched for podcasts that were just by children with only children's voices. They were limited if not any for a long period of time. If somehow children from all over the world could access listening to good ole fashioned storytelling from kids, car rides would be a happier place. I know they would like to hear the stories and eventually contribute. I do not know about all the parents out there, but if your child is a virtual storyteller, they will be sharing it amongst friends, families, and the stranger at the grocery store.

When I became an ESL teacher from home. The same thing would apply to kids in various countries. They loved my stories, but when they heard my 5-year-old son read the stories, they seemed to comprehend the information better. They began speaking the lines of the story.

My passions are writing and teaching. I have gotten through tough times when I relax and sink into my imagination and create stories. Stories are healing and can ignite a fire under those that have become stagnate in their creativity. I am proud that I pass the love of storytelling on to my children.

I created stories so that my children can listen to them on long car rides. I told them that a story is a bean that is planted, and it can grow into a giant with the power of imagination. Hearing a great story and seeing the characters they draw using their imagination is priceless. Everyone can have a different interpretation of how that character looks to them. Wouldn’t you love to hear stories read by kids, for kids? I know my kids would and having different categories such as bedtime stories and affirmations would be awesome for little ones having trouble sleeping. I know this because I create the stories my kids love to read. Now I have shown my kids through my passion to create and that they can do whatever they imagine and more.

Listen to a sample of a Story: https://animoto.com/play/kyPC8MgQ2ktVC1Km7ejUYA