Why Stories of Kids
Why do I want your stories of the delightful kids in your life?
Maybe it is because I grew up in a large family, was a big sister before my second birthday and an auntie before I went to kindergarten…
Maybe it is because hearing my dad tell about when he was a preschool kid and said to his dad: ‘I could pants you old man’ never gets boring.
Maybe it is because sitting with my siblings and parents and reminiscing about the growing up years is my favorite luxury in life.
Maybe it is because in watching my own kids grow up I lost so many of those memories that they have become more precious to me.
Maybe I don’t want you to lose your memories too.
Maybe I just love to laugh and make others laugh.
Maybe it is simply the joy I get ‘hearing’ your stories, receiving your reactions from the art, and getting to wrap that all up and share it with as many other folks as possible.
Maybe I love knowing I can make someone’s day with a simple stick figure comic.
But not without you and your endless stories.
So thank you and keep them coming!
You could do this too
I never would have thought to draw my kids’ funny sweet or crazy moments (and mine) in little stick people form..
And i just want to throw this out there that you can do this too.. start a notebook or sketch book of the little people in your life in simple stick figures doing the little things that make life what it is
It doesn’t need to be perfect or even great
Your kids will love it
You will have something to look back at to help you remember
But in the mean time, if that doesn’t interest you, just keep sending them my way
I want all the stories
every time
Every time you share a story with me
And it makes me chuckle, smile, laugh out loud or say awwww
And totally makes my day
I get to respond with my reaction
Which I’m pretty sure brings you joy, knowing I get joy out of your story
Then I start drawing it in my head which sparks another round of joy
And eventually on ‘paper’ where the details get worked out and the final steps bring so much satisfaction
Then I get to share the drawing back to the one who gave us the story
And I get your response which is typically a happy one
Which triggers another round of joy for myself
I then get to share it with the rest of the subscribers and folks who follow along
And I get to imagine the responses and the further sharing and passing of the story and comic
And It just goes on
Not without your stories though
So thank you very much
new challenges
This week I got to draw a comic with my niece in her wheelchair
It was exciting to try something new and to pull it off
I like when I can individualize the kids in the comics
So it helps to know details
I have drawn curly coils of hair
Red hair, straw hair, pig tails, braids and freckles
I also drew a girl with Down’s Syndrome
I don’t think anyone would look at the comic and think
‘Oh that’s a darling little girl with Down’s Syndrome’
But I did make an effort and searched on the web for distinguishing characteristics of a Down’s Syndrome child
It helps me see people better also when I do this
I start to see differences in hair textures
Or hairlines or the way hair falls
Not that you’re going to get a portrait of your child if you submit a story
But when you see the comic, if you’ve given me a detail that sets your kid apart
I hope you will see (maybe with a little imagination) your child in the story
For the most part my generic little people cover most of the stories
And submitters typically love them
And are free to say if I didn’t quite get it right
Yay for do-overs
Thank you for your stories
apologies
It has been so fun getting stories again
They’re rolling in daily
I would rather be drawing stories than practically anything else
I have been contemplating sharing more than one story a week
But each one deserves it’s own time in the spotlight
The details of the ebook are slowly getting wrapped up also
We are about one step away from publication
But it’s kind of a major step
And technology is wonderful when it does what it is suppposed to and works for us
And typically it throws in some speed bumps
And when I am not working on it I wish I was
I feel a little bad for those closest to me
It often goes like this:
Me trying to tear myself away from this hobby:
‘What do you got going on today?’ Or ‘How was your day?’
And they proceed to answer:
‘I’ve got to meet Jerry and bring the guys some mesh and ….then it slowly morphs into moving lips and ‘whah whah’
Like Charlie Brown’s teacher’s voice
And I say all the uh huhs but honestly I hope it wasn’t anything life changing
Because you’ll have to repeat the last ten minutes of what you just said
I apologize I was drawing comics in my head
Just clarifying
Sixteen year old daughter:
‘I need to go fishing, my hands are scarred’
Mom: ‘You need to go fishing your hands are scarred??’
Her:’BAHAHAHA’
‘I need to go finish my food handler’s card!!’
aaaarrrggh
Memory is not fair
It is so selective
I can remember way too many useless instances
Like the time the music teacher hurt my feelings in fourth grade
My childhood phone number and the tune the keys played when we typed it into the wall phone keypad
What t-shirt I wore for my 2nd grade school photo
The first and last name of every kid in my kindergarten through 6th grade class (when prompted by photos)
(Which isn’t completely useless actually, but not extremely useful thus far in life either)
But yesterday I got home from running a few errands
And my 12 year old boy came running up to my car door
And as we chatted
He said the best funny
It was a joke that got me so bad
It was total ad lib, off the cuff, just him being his quick witted humorous self
And as I hugged him, laughed, grabbed all my paraphernalia
And asked him to get the five dozen egg carton
I thought: ‘I am going to draw that in a comic later’
Simultaneously thinking I would no way forget it
Even though I know better
I trusted my memory
I made that errant decision…
And now
I cannot for the life of me recall what he said
Not even remotely what it was about
No matter how much I throw the internal fit
I go back in my mind and retrace my steps to when I was in the car and everything that was happening in that moment
I beg and plead with my mind
I am to the point I would give my right hand for that memory
(Except then I’d have to learn to draw left handed)
And it refuses to be remembered
So I decided to follow the advice I give to others
I went on my phone and I saved the ‘submit your story’ page from Chattersticks to my home screen
And I will be tapping on that link and submitting my stories immediately as they happen or very soon after
So memories of my kids don’t get lost either
You all would have loved his joke too, if only
So don’t hesitate
Send the stories before they get lost in the shuffle of the mundane!
memories
One of my favorite reasons for drawing your stories in comic form is that if I didn’t
You would often forget that funny or precious moment ever happened
When I left off of this hobby in 2021 there were submitted stories I hadn’t drawn yet
And recently I’ve been drawing those ones and getting approval from the ones who shared them
And the reactions have been very interesting and diverse
One mom said ‘I shared that with you?! How embarrassing!’
Another said ‘Hahaha I forgot all about that, so cute!’
Another said it had happened slightly different and had me change a tiny part of the dialogue.
The ‘I forgot about that!’ response is the most common
And it makes me so happy to remind you
And you get experience the memory all over again
So much fun
Keep the stories coming
Kids are the best thing on earth
Hurry up summer
Three days to go
Doing our best
Vetting the kids’ end of the year requests
For field trip chaperone
Field day volunteering
Class party donut drop off
School wide Beach Apparel Day shopping
(‘Mom ask Mrs. Hyde if I can bring a pool noodle!’)
Missing library book searches
Art shows
Choir Concerts
Wanting to stay home because ‘the UV is gonna be 9!’
So hard to go to bed when the sky is light
and the pool is warmer than the air
And even harder to keep waking them early when I’d rather let them sleep
all ages
Today I had the joyful experience of a young
Say 19ish year old girl asking
‘Are you still drawing your comics?’
And I was so glad I can say I am back at it
The fan club of these stories spans all the age groups
And that makes my heart so happy
The more the merrier
Everyone deserves and needs these little characters in their inbox
Head to Chattersticks.com/subscribe and share that page with anyone you think would enjoy these stories
and/or would want their own stories drawn in this style totally free for all of us to love
a lot
We have a lot of teenage daughters at the moment
Five to be precise
Which means we also have a lot of other things
Hair brushes full of a lot of hair
Shoe racks full of a lot of shoes
Hanging racks full of a lot of clothes
(Possibly sagging from the weight)
(You’d think they wouldn't need to come steal dad’s t-shirts)
Shampoos and conditioners
Lotions and potions
Perfumes and body sprays
Chapsticks and glosses
Three of them have a license to drive so
Three little cars in the driveway feels like a lot
A lot of ‘can you cash app me for food?’ or gas
A lot of calls from the high school about a student being absent for ‘one or more classes’
A lot of ‘where are you- who you with - and when will you be home’
A lot of ‘buckle up’ and ‘drive safe’
A lot of waiting up long past when we’d like to be sleeping
To make sure they make it home
And to hear all about it
A lot of trips up and down the stairs in the morning
On repeat: ‘It’s time to get up, It’s time to get up’
A LOT of towels, mostly used ones
A lot of negotiations about whose car to drive
Whether one can wear another’s sweatshirt
Or, How much will you give me for cleaning your room?
A lot of dad’s jokes falling flat because teens are the toughest audience
And so much more
imagine
Imagine not signing up for the Chattersticks email
Not receiving a new adorable story about a kid in your inbox every Tuesday morning
Early in fact, 5am, in my time zone any way
(Apologies to those around the globe who have to wait until 5:00 your time)
I can’t imagine it
I love the comic stories so much even I subscribe
The coolest part is I draw them in batches and schedule them out for weeks
Even months
So by the time I open the email the stories are fresh again
They never get old
As I’ve been putting them together for a book and editing
And sorting and putting in files
I’ve read them hundreds of times
And they are always funny and sweet
Every time I get a new story I draw it up and show my kids and hubby
Too excited to keep it to myself
It is one of the easiest ways to spark joy in the world
To share stories of the best little critters on earth
If you’re not subscribed and enjoying the stories and sharing them
I can’t imagine!
Pass on something good today, make someone smile
I’ve never heard of anyone saying please no more awesome adorable sweet funny stories of kids:)
good grief
Me this very morning
As soon as it was time to take the middle school girl down to the bus stop
The shoes I ‘always’ leave by the front door for convenience
The slip on in a hurry shoes that never fail me
Were not where they should be
Not where I expected them to be
So with the clock ever ticking toward the bus arrival time I hollered for help
‘Who wore my shoes?’
‘They are NOWHERE’
‘Rea! Monica! Camryn!’
‘Which one of you girls wore my shoes?’
‘Wasn’t me’ (X3)
‘Well they don’t just disappear!’
I continue my frantic scrounging, searching, digging in shoe drawers and cubbies
Venting out loud
‘This is NOT FAIR’
‘Moms should not have to search for their shoes’
‘Are you girls SURE you never borrowed them?’
‘Mom NO’
‘The last time I wore them I put them back’
I know I could have gone barefoot, or wore any other of the 85 pairs of shoes in the house
And if it came down to missing the bus I would have
But as it got down to the wire and the bus roared through it’s route, closer all the time
I continued the hunt
Noticed my robe on the bedroom floor right below the hook and picked it up absently
To uncover the beloved missing slip ons had been hiding underneath it
I slipped them on and headed down the stairs
‘it’s okay girls, you can all CALM DOWN, I found my shoes’
I got a nonchalant glance from above a toasted bagel, a pause in the middle of putting ham on a sandwich, a brush stilled in a hand… and someone asked the dreaded
‘Where were they?’
As I marched out the door behind the middle school girl I mumbled
‘Not that it’s any of your business but they might have been in my room under my robe on the floor’
And was sent away with a snort and some Ha Ha’s
When I actually do lose all my marbles they are not even going to realize.
Consistently inconsistent
If you’ve been following along for awhile you’ve figured out the Daily Dose is pretty random
No real schedule or timeline
Or certain topic
I’ve stressed about trying to be more predictable
And orderly with it
But today I decided ‘oh well’
It fits the theme of life as it is
Predictably unpredictable
Good night
It is a good night when all five drivers
Are safely parked
At an early hour
So mom can bid them all good night
And rest peacefully
Also known as anonymous
Just to make sure no one is holding back from sharing all the stories with us
You can always let me know that you want to remain anonymous
Just let me know when you share your story
Mr Coffee
The first attempt of the 17 year old to make good old fashion drip coffee turned out ok
It was a bit weak
She said she couldn’t see the six cup line so she filled it to the eight
Mysteriously the pot will no longer brew since that morning
It turns on, the clock works, the brew button works
It just won’t brew
Coincidence?
give and take
I heard once that life is all about negotiation
It’s never been truer than now with teenagers in the house
And the youngest is catching on quickly
Once I asked him if he would please take the garbage out
As he lounged on the stairs reading a comic he said
‘What have you done for me today?’
decisions decisions
I want to be ten years old and making the decisions our ten year old son gets to make every day
‘Mom which basketball should I bring to school?’
(He already has his mind made up, he just likes discussions;
One ball is lumpy and the other is bigger than he likes but big is better than lumpy)
‘You can’t play with a ball that has bumps on it’
Then it is on to what he wants to eat for breakfast, what he wants packed in his lunch
‘LOTS of Goldfish mom, I always finish them on the bus on the way home!’
It’s always the same shoes, unless he got them wet and muddy
And sometimes even when they are wet and muddy
What to whittle next
Who to call and make plans with for the weekend
What book to have mom read at bedtime (That’s a TOUGH one)
Sometimes he can’t make that decision so he hands me a stack and makes me choose
And typically vetoes my ruling
I also wish I could make decisions with the confidence he has
Just pick choose done moving on