HOW DO YOU BURY SOMEONE?

No this is not a crime story, or even a piece of horror writing.This is straight from the source. Children.

The above was from a friend's child- who it seems the week before asked 'how do you become a princess?'

This week the question is much more practical and down to earth.

A child's curiosity and the way they see the world offers up so much for the writer.

We babysat Miss Four on the weekend. The first time she had spent the night, so I think we were all a bit anxious. (especially her parents- but I have never lost a child that I have looked after).

Typical of a child, she refused to listen as I repeated the 'leave the cat alone, she's old and cranky'. There was much 'oh Kitty Kat why don't you love me?' and even an episode of tears as she was scratched. Little did she know, that night Tigger slept with her. All night.

But it was the statements she made, the comments, the way she looked at life.

She found a parcel and opened it. Inside were three chalkboards, heart shaped.
'Can I have one of these?' she asked. I told her they were for Lauren, for her wedding and that I would find her something else to draw on.
'Is Lauren getting married?' she asked. I told her yes, when asked who to, I said Ash.
'Oh,' she said,' that's going to be gross. They're probably going to kiss.'

We did a lot that day, Miss Four and myself.
We gardened....

She put on my boots and tramped around the place. I raked the back drive, she did help...once. Then said it was too hard, walked up and down in the over size boots till she put her hands on her hips and said 'this is too much hard work' and voted we went inside for an ice cream.

We did.

We also baked choc chip cookies (a Thornton tradition). She loved it....especially eating the cookie dough...

In fact at one stage she did ask why we were bothering to cook them at all. We could just eat the dough. When I said no we had to cook them, she asked why when they taste better uncooked.

Logic you see. A child's logic is very interesting.

I took her to a nearby park. And as I watched her scramble up and over and around...at times with me wondering how on earth do I catch her if she falls....

Then she decided it was more fun if she went down the slide when I was at the bottom of it. She could then sneak (how does a four year old sneak? Badly) along then slide down and into me.

She thought this was hysterical. We did it time after time...until I said enough, no more.

'It's not me doing it,' she said,' it's my legs.'

Logic you see.

The same thought process appeared when she got dressed. I told her she had to wash her face and hands, brush her teeth and we'd comb her hair (with the special untangling spray mum had provided).

She looked at me and said 'you do know I don't have to brush my hair. It's a holiday and on holidays I don't have to brush my hair.'

I told her that holidays at my house meant she had to brush her hair. 'Okay,' she said, turning her back so I could brush it, 'but only this bit' and pointed to the left side.

But her hair was brushed---the left side and the right.

There were so many comments, so many things she said that I noted down because....and this is where the writer side comes in, because so many could be the jumping off point for a kid's story. Or a poem, or a book.

Children offer up so many ideas.

All we have to do is, once we stop laughing, is listen, note them down and then attempt to capture them on the page.

Didn't say it would be easy, but it will be fun.

Vicki
http://vickithornton.weebly.com/