Lesson from a Toddler

"Mom!" Emma rides her big wheel trike up to me in our front room. "Say, 'Chase'!"

She likes being called Chase, after the police pup from Paw Patrol.

I play along. "Chase!"

I expect the scene to move forward, for her to give me my next line, but she just repeats, "Say, 'Chase'!"

Me, uncertain: "Chase?"

"No, Mom! Mom! Say, 'Chase'!"

This goes on until I, relating to Mugatu, finally say, "I am not saying 'Chase' anymore! I say it and you don't do anything with it."

Kind reminder that my child is two, so my outburst made zero sense to her. But it got me thinking about storytelling.

I sit at the computer or by my notebook, and I wait for the words to come, for my next line to be given to me. Oftentimes, I draw blanks, and I get frustrated.

"I'm not writing anymore. I try and nothing happens. I try and then end up not doing anything with it."

But maybe I should treat my writing time the way Emma treats her play time. She doesn't really know what's supposed to happen next. She just knows she wants to have fun.

Happy February!