A Fish Story

This story was brought into existence today in order to convince a preschooler that listening and getting a drink of water after playing outside for an hour was a good idea. When it was finished, she and I were able to dash to the drinking fountain with no tears, no going limp, and no trips to the office. A personality-packed smile even slipped across the girl's round face before she took a sip and threw back her head to gurgle like a goldfish. Success. Of course, the story makes little sense when examined, and the cooperation had more to do with a wish to emulate the "hero" of the story than comprehension of the lesson. Still, a moment of anticipated chaos turned into a delightful conversation with an adoring, wide-eyed audience. The day gained one more reason to smile.

~

There once was a boy who did not like to drink water. He never felt thirsty, and he never listened to his mother when she asked him to get a drink. 

One day, this boy got sick. His mom asked him to drink water, but he said, “No! I don’t feel thirsty! I am not going to drink any water!” 

The next day, he felt even worse, so his mom tried feeding him lots and lots of fruit. She gave him apples, bananas, papayas, dragon fruit, pears, and pineapples, but nothing helped. His mom asked him to please drink some water, but he said, “No! I don’t feel thirsty! I am not going to drink any water!” 

The day after that, the boy was so sick that he couldn’t go to school. His mom tried feeding him vegetables, from carrots to rutabagas, but nothing helped. She pleaded with him to drink some water, but he said, “No! I don’t feel thirsty! I am not going to drink any water!” 

Each day, the boy felt a little bit worse, and each day, his mom tried something else to make him feel better. One day he slept all day; one day he exercised all day; one day he went to a chiropractor to have his back adjusted. Nothing helped. At the end of every day, his mom said, “Please, will you drink some water?”, and the boy said, “No! I don’t feel thirsty! I am not going to drink any water!”

Finally, when the boy was so sick that he couldn’t even watch movies or have any fun with friends, his mom called a doctor. The doctor came and took one look at the boy and said, “This boy needs to drink some water!” The boy answered (softly, as he was very sick), “No! I don’t feel thirsty! I am not going to drink any water!” 

The doctor left and the boy fell asleep in bed. Right next to his bed was a goldfish who lived in a fishbowl that had just been cleaned by the boy’s mom. The goldfish was very worried about the boy, and in his concern, he started swimming frantically around the fishbowl. He went so fast that he accidentally ran into the side of the bowl, and he moved it a tiny bit toward the edge of the bedside table. Then he thought of a plan. He kept running into the side of the bowl, over and over again, until the fishbowl was on the very edge of the table. Then he gave one final push, and the fishbowl flipped over and the water went everywhere. 

A little bit of the water even went into the boy’s mouth. The boy swallowed the water and immediately started feeling better. He said, “I am thirsty. Mom, could you get me some water?” 

~

After I smiled (and while I keep smiling), questions confronted me: What good, healthy things do I refuse because I am simply not in the mood to receive them? Who is the storyteller in my life who turns me back toward life-giving water? A wonderful combination, smiling and thinking - I hope it shall continue.