A Tale of Bravery by Mario Avent

Kids make me nervous and I am a little terrified of them. They are brutally honest, loud, fragile and as far as I can recall I have never been a fan of kids. When I was in grade school I knew kids were rambunctious and dirty, because I was one of them. I was the kid in third grade that always tried to get the class room quiet because kids were just too loud. As I grew up and became an adult I really tried to stay away from kids, and created my own rules. I don’t feel sorry for kids, if they run and fall, they shouldn’t have been running. If they have a toothache, shouldn’t have been eating candy. I don’t talk down to or baby-talk little kids either. I treat them like adults and talk to them like adults. I don’t give in to their demands. If I go to Disneyland I want to go to see Star Wars, not Little Mermaid.

Yes, I am selfish. I don’t like sharing with kids, at all. Once you give them a little they want a lot. I don’t read books to kids because I might not like the story they picked and the kids don’t pay attention after the first page, but I do love telling stories to children. What?! Is he a hypocrite you may ask yourself? The answer is no. The reason I love telling to kids is because they honestly love hearing stories and not being read to.

The first time I told to kids was in a huge cafeteria filled with 250 kindergarten through second grade kids. As they walked in I started to have an anxiety attack, but what was I afraid of? I tower over the tallest kid by a couple of feet. I am stronger than all of them, and I’m an adult so that’s a bonus altogether. I was afraid of the fact that little kids can bruise your ego or mess up your story. I finally got the courage and told my story “The King of the Jungle”. The kids loved the beatboxing and the story. Afterwards, kids were coming up to me telling me I was their favorite and saying they loved the story. My mind was blown. They loved the story and I lived. Maybe the kids weren’t that bad.

Then I told a story at the i.d.e.a Museum in Mesa, Arizona. The kids were younger, there were far fewer and closer. This was a true test. The theme of the storytelling event was Heroes. There were super hero posters everywhere, Egyptian Hieroglyphs featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ironman, and Batman. There was also a poster talking about the Hero’s Journey featuring the Lion King. I loved it. I became the very thing I didn’t like being around, a kid. I was rambunctious, I was loud, I was having fun. When the first storyteller started, there was one little girl with a purple cape and white mask, being as cute as she could be, and taking over the stories with her questions and remarks. What was I going to do when she did that to me? I became terrified again and a little reserved.

When it was my turn to tell, I sat in a small seat right in front of the kids, so close they could touch me. When I told “Abiyoyo” to them, they were all looking at me, not asking questions. I had their attention, and I got them all singing. I even got on the floor really close to the kids. The little purple superhero interrupted me at the end but I just included her into my story, and the kids loved it. I loved it. The kids were a joy to tell to and I learned something. I may be selfish with somethings, but I love sharing stories with little kids. They are not all rambunctious, loud, and dirty. I may not be a big fan of every kid, but one thing is for sure. I have something in common with all those little kids, I love stories and I love having fun.

Comments

[Crystal Gale]

Thank-you for your honesty Mario! Life is full of these strange feelings that contradict one another.

[Sally Borg]

What a joy to read how you overcame your fear and found you love telling stories to kids! I'm not unlike you... you give me courage to be open to the idea of telling to kids!

[Marilee Lasch]

Mario...I have just gotten to be part of your storytelling this semester...but in my mind YOU are king of the jungle. Your style is so full of wonder that any kid from the age of 3 to 73 would sit in awe while you tell. I am just one voice, but listen to me when I say...don't ever be afraid to tell, the world is waiting for your sunshine.

[Elizabeth Wunsch]

Never loose the child within. that is the part of your essence that will drive your creative endeavors. Bravo Mario!