As much as I like telling things to preschoolers, what thrills me more are the things they say to me. Preschoolers have zero filters, limited social graces, and a grasp of reality that is tenuous at best. As a result, the things they say are often hilarious and always interesting. During my years as a teacher and now as a storyteller, I have written down all the funny things preschoolers have said. My collection is very large at this point and never fails to make me laugh when I go through some of the entries.
They range from the silly: A 4 year old girl said “I’m going to visit my grandma soon!” I asked “In the summer?” She said “No in my car” to the cute: After a show a 3 year old boy asked me “Can I make a hug with you”, to the embarrassing 4 year old girl said to me “My mom has nipples”, to the downright philosophical: A 5 year old boy told his friend “shoes only move if you put feet in them!”
The things they say can be funny, helpful, hurtful (boy said to me “Big Joe I’m tired of hearing you say words!”) bizarre and totally out there (A 4 year old told me “When I grow up I’m going to catch a lot of fish and feed them to a dragon!”). There are also time when the things they say can really touch you. Such an exchange took place a few months ago.
I had had a very bad week and I was off my game. I was tired, burnt out, and was feeling the weight of doing 11 shows in 3 days. I didn’t have any energy and I wasn’t able to give it my all. I struggled through a show, and even though I wasn’t too happy with it, the audience seemed to enjoy it. I was feeling down, when this cute little preschool girl came up to me and said “Big Joe you’re the best storyteller I’ve ever seen!” Just like that everything got better! Happiness radiated through me, and I smiled a great big smile. I felt great.
Of course, not being one to leave well enough along, I asked the girl “How many storytellers have you seen?” She smiled at me and said “Just you” Even though her list of storytellers stood at one, I needed the win so I took the compliment and thanked her profusely!
Kids do indeed say the darndest things!!
By the way, I will share more from my collection called “Things Preschoolers Say” on this blog, but you can also follow me on twitter (@bigjoestory) where I put a bunch of my favorites out there for you to enjoy!