Walter the Whale

About a month ago, Sharon told Dominic a bedtime story about a whale named Walter. He had been in the habit of requesting being told a story as opposed to being read a book before bed. This particular night, he wanted to hear a story about a whale.

Well, Walter has since grown into a legend in our house. Walter and his brother have been through many adventures together, and Dominic gets to hear about them all each night before bedtime. In my humble opinion, my wife is a genius for coming up with exciting new tales each night. Dominic absolutely loves them!! I'm not sure how long he will continue to request stories, but I think that Walter is going to be a cherished childhood memory for him.

Last night, because Sharon is sick (yes, I gave her my sickness), I was going to read Dominic some bedtime stories. Well, he wanted to be told stories. So, I told him some stories about a tractor, a crane, a bulldozer and a mixing truck. He seemed to like them alright, but I don't think that they were very good stories, or very well told. I used to think that I would be good at telling stories because I had a good imagination. Now, I'm not sure that I have a good imagination, and I'm quite sure that I am not good at telling stories. Sharon, on the other hand, is excellent!!

Walter stories have become so special to Dominic that he becomes sad if he doesn't think he is going to "get" one. Last night, he didn't think that Mommy was going to tell him a Walter story, and he began to get teary eyed. He said, "I guess I'm not going to get a Walter story. But, I always get one. But, I guess I'm not going to get one tonight." Sharon, beautiful and angelic as she is, came in half conscious because of her dose of Nyquil, and came up with a Walter story so that Dominic could get to sleep peacefully. As I sat downstairs, I was reminded once again how lucky I am to have both Dominic and Sharon!!

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