Bedtime Stories

Marriage is always a risk, because you never know how things will turn out in the end. When I prayed to know if I should marry Nathan, my answer was, "You decide.....but then be completely committed to your decision." So, I took the plunge and have been amazed to see what my husband has become.

One of the most wonderful things he does is tell the kids bedtime stories. He started this when Brandon was only 3 years old and hasn't missed a night since, except when he is gone for meetings. Brandon is now 12, so that means he's told roughly 3,000 stories!

The stories started out with several main characters that came from memories of his Grandpa's stories. They are the magic hats. Big Hat has a big top hat but is a little man, Little Hat has a little bowler hat on his large body. When they pull their shoulders in the hats drop down and turn into magical homes. Tex is also a magic hat with a cowboy hat.

The kids are all part of the stories, and they have magical items to help in their adventures. Brandon has magic shoes that make him run really fast, Andrew has a magic pocket that can hold anything, Connor has a magic pocketwatch that freezes time, Nicole has a magic bracelet that makes her fly, and Danielle has a magic ring that makes her invisible.

Each story has started with the line, "There was a knock at the door...." They have captured many a bad guy and learned about whatever Nathan has been interested in at the time. Most of all he has developed his sense of humor, and they laugh uncontrollably. That has especially been the case since later characters were introduced: Togo and Alli. There is also Diggity Dog who is a super hero beagle. Nicole has added the princess stories to the mix to fill her needs, and they always start out, "Once there was a beautiful princess named Nicole...."


There is no way to convey the scope of Nathan's stories or to express they joy they bring into our children's lives. While I decompress from that day, they congregate in one of the bedrooms, and I hear laughter spilling out of the room.

The worst punishment that Nathan can inflict is to cancel stories for the night, and though it is threatened from time to time, it is rarely carried out. I think this is because he enjoys the stories as much as the kids. There have been numerous times that I've glanced at the clock and realized that he's been telling stories for over half and hour.

I'm sure Scientists or Literature Professors could explain all the benefits from our nightly routine, but I think the greatest benefit is when I hear my kids express their intention to tell their own kids bedtime stories and hear their beginning efforts during the day.

Tonight I went into the bedroom intending to take pictures for this blog. Without saying anything I started recording the story on video mode in the middle of a story. This is just a random example of what goes on in our home. He was talking about the squirrels in the park next to the city hall in a follow-up of an earlier installment. I love hearing the laughter, and I think Nathan is just plain funny. He is quick on his feet, has hilarious voices and keeps a great running story line. Unfortunately my memory card ran out of space after 3 minutes, so you can't hear Danielle recite Pi.

I'm so blessed to be married to such a great father.