When I get really tired of trying to make things up, I have two options. I can either tell them no and live with all the whining or I can make them do the work. Put like that, it’s not really much of a choice. Here’s how our last attempt went:

Me: Okay, what do you want the story to be about? Um…pick an animal, Ellie.

Ellie: (looking around the room and seeing a red balloon parrot) A parrot!

Me: Okay, Scott, where should the parrot live?

Scott: Next to a giant statue.

Okay, then.

Me: Ellie, what do you think would be the weirdest thing a parrot could do?

Ellie: Talk!

Apparently they don’t want to put much effort into this either.

Me: Right…okay…um…who should he talk to?

Scott: Other parrots!

Seriously? Aren’t kids supposed to be endlessly creative?

Me: Okay. What else should he do?

Them: Nothing else.

Yeah, maybe enduring the whining would have been less work.

Tune in tomorrow for the resulting story.