The Power of Stories

Posted in storyTagged , , ,

“Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fountain of all invention and innovation; in its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.” – J.K. Rowling

When my 2 1/2 year-old son had to have a root canal a couple of months ago, I crudely drew out the story in 8 sequential panels so that he could see the story as it played out and also take it to school and show his friends why he’d been absent. It was my effort to help him not only understand but also know why he had to go back for the second part of the treatment once the infection had healed. I’ll never know if it changed his perception but he was amazingly cooperative in the dental chair when we went back.

I didn’t know before I became a parent how much story-telling is involved. Not just in the reading of books at night but helping to narrate their story as they come of age. But I recently watched a Ted talk about the science of story-telling that explained that the elements story-tellers use are similar to ones researchers have found that our brains use to understand the world. It is the topic of my Pointless Overthinking blog post this week, Telling a Good Story.

And here’s the story of Mr D’s root canal shown in 8 panels:

(featured photo from Pexels)

35 thoughts on “The Power of Stories”

  1. I suppose you could think about turning your little story into an ebook for kids? I’d have liked to see the images and how you explained them to him! Seems to have been inspirational!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Oh, what an interesting idea, Tamara. I’ve updated the post to include a picture of the drawing. It really is crude but I think it really worked. Thank you for thinking of the power of this!

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I think that’s a fantastic idea! It could be a book explaining what tends to be difficult for adults to explain to kids in pictorial-story-form! It’s like Einstein’s explanation of what relativity is, which went something like “if you sit in a lecture, an hour seems like a day, but if you’re sitting next to a pretty girl, and hour seems like a minute. That’s relativity!” And that’s your stories. Fantastic idea!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Well, well… it’s purely by chance I decided to hop into WP to get my mind off some dental procedures that will go over some weeks. This afternoon I will be at the dentist’s and I am not at all brave in a dentist’s chair! But reading about your little brave heart, I felt a bit calm and maybe not brave enough but definitely not as shaky as I was before reading this… and I’m a grandma saying this! Thanks for this spoonful of comfort 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Joy, I’m so sorry to hear about your dental procedure. In case it’s of any comfort, I’ve updated the post to include a picture of the drawing I made for Mr. D. I hope all goes well today – it’s no fun!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks for you kind wishes! Yes, so far all well. Fortunately, the dentist was very competent and though it was a tricky extraction, of a badly fractured tooth, it went smoothly. I loved the sketches you’ve drawn for Mr. D! It’s interesting that I too used to do these little sketches for my grandkids when they were younger 😊.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I’m so impressed that you’re storytelling was able to convince him to sit quietly in the dental chair for the Procedure! I’m an adult and I don’t sit quietly for the dentist LOL! You’re crazy talented and I agree with the comment about you turning it into an ebook for kids… especially for those with dental phobias (like me!)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, LaShelle! It really was amazing how well he cooperated when he had to go back a week later. I think the fact that he could show it to his teachers and friends really was powerful! I updated the post to include a picture of the poster I made for him – you are welcome to print it off and take it with you next time you have to go to the dentist. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  4. The elements you shared make sense to me too and Eric’s story Captivated me. But I’m most impressed that you actually wrote out a story for your son detailing what he’d experience with his root canal. That’s a great idea and great parenting but that doesn’t surprise me. You share many wonderful parenting ideas. Your children are blessed. Great post, Wynne!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Some of my favorite stories were those my Mom read to me as I drifted off to Slumberland snuggled next to her. I betcha’ one of the favorites will remember and someday tell to his children will be the his Mom

    Liked by 1 person

  7. What a Wonderful thing to do for Mr D. You essentially created a “social story,” a wonderful tool for kids.

    And I agree about the power of stories for sure and the science of good storytelling. If you dissect good movies, you’ll see a lot of the similar elements and progressions used. I would say you demonstrate many of those techniques in your writing too!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. What an interesting comment about dissecting movies. Have you heard that there are only 9 stores (or something like that) like the hero’s journey, boy meets girl or coming of age. I’m not sure I believe that but I think you are right, they all contain similar elements.

      And just so I don’t take too much credit for Mr. D’s story – I created it because I wanted him to cooperate. I also wanted him to understand and process but I essentially created it so that he’d go along with the procedures. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I’m reminded about a young child’s first day at school who was crying when met by parents. Teacher had told her to “sit there for the present” and the ‘present’ never arrived. The teacher hadn’t learned how to de-centre which you did beautifully with your young son. The power and positives of story telling when told meaningfully is immense.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, I’m feeling the power of the story about the young child that you told. It’s amazing how we can illustrate an idea so well with a story. Thank you so much for this interesting comment, Margaret!

      Like

    1. As I said to Ab, it was motivated by self-interest in wanting him to cooperate when we went back to the dentist. And it worked. But unfortunately not all of my ideas do. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. I would never have thought of a story board. I did like the stick drawings, made me smile. Crude, but effective and did the job! I am no artist either but knowing your panel worked I would try it in the future because it’s sweet. It reminds me of what used to cover my fridge when the kids were young. My Mom was artistic and I have never been. More right brained I guess. – David

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.