Some look forward
To going out to a movie
Others can’t wait to try
A new restaurant
A soft intimate moment
Is desired by still others
But a little late in the game
I have found ‘Story Hour’
To be the most desired ticket in town
‘Story Hour’, ‘Story Hour’
Seriously? Seriously?
How can that be?
Well like most things
There is a history
Spent my early years as a parent
Working way too many hours
Trying to achieve what I already had at home
Little children and a loving wife
Nonetheless I had a few moments with them
But not enough as I now know
Of course my wife invited me
To my first ‘Story Hour’
Well, invited is a misnomer
Actually said we were going to ‘Story Hour’
With our youngest granddaughter
Two years old, blond and a pistol
So Wednesday from 9:30 to 11 was blocked off on the calendar
All other appointments were cancelled
Cell phones were turned off
And why?
Fifteen to twenty-five two to three year olds
Congregated
Okay, congregated is not even close
To an accurate description of the scene
My first impression was that I needed to protect myself
Children running without fear or brakes on their little legs
At any moment, I could see myself being toppled
Landing who know where
Finding a place on the wall to maintain my balance
Was critical in this first endeavor in Story Hour protocol
Yes, yes there were some parents
But actually it seemed grandparents
Were the primary defense between chaos and storytelling
You’re right
That is scary
But actually there is a bond with a grandparent
That at the very least
Elicits a need on the child’s part
To sit on a lap, or hide behind
Or maybe even slow to a jog
But then the ‘Storyteller’ begins the familiar music
Which signals the arrival of ‘Story Time’
The running slows down, eyes turn
Some little ones even sit
To enjoy the show
A mixture of songs, reading and dancing
Finishing with an art project
And pictures, pictures,
Are part of the contract grandparents have with parents
So that while the parents are at work
They will receive a picture of their perfect one at ‘Story Hour’
I am mesmerized by the unaltered joy
The unmitigated pleasure
The pure bubbling of laughter
Emanating from the youthful audience of the
‘Story Hour’
And yes, I have our tickets for the next Wednesday
FXC
3/30/19