A Tall Tale

I’ve always thought that our son was somewhat on the imaginative side. He can see spaceships, robots, and weapons (of course) out of ordinary trash items. It’s up to me to help him create his visions with glue and fine motor skills. I’ve enjoyed watching his creative side. In the following picture he's holding a leaf to his head and telling me he's a tree:

It’s been especially interesting over the past week. Let me see if I can do this story justice:

It begins last Wednesday on Cory’s first day of preschool—
Ted asks Cory what he did at school.
Cory: I played hockey
Ted: (shocked that a 4 year old would be allowed to play hockey day one of preschool) You played hockey?
Cory: Uh huh.
Ted: You played REAL hockey?
Cory: Uh huh.
Ted: With skates?
Cory: Uh huh.
Ted (thinking that perhaps he played field hockey, or some similar game with a ball on the playground): Where did you play hockey?
Cory: In a big room
Ted: Was it like carpet or was it a real hockey rink?
Cory: It was ice.
Ted (thinking that there’s a nearby building with a rec center that perhaps he played in): Cory did you PLAY hockey or did watch other people play hockey?
Cory: No, we played. The teachers watched.

Ted relates this story to me, and I’m thinking this is obviously not true, as Ted well knows. But when we ask Cory about it, he insists he played. Apparently, another thing about Cory, besides his imagination, is his ability to fib. I was telling some neighbors about it later, and one of them confirms the conversation Cory and Ted had, saying she thought he sounded very believable. We decide not to press the matter, but find it oddly funny that he’s convinced he played hockey.

Two days later on Cory’s second day of preschool—
I pick up Cory from school, and we’re walking to our car
Kristi: Oh, dear, I forgot to ask your teacher about your hockey game you played the other day
Cory: Well, I was just being silly.
Kristi (smiling to myself, but not wanting to say I thought so): Oh. So you didn’t play.
Cory: No, I couldn’t because I was too little.
Kristi: You were too little?
Cory: Yeah, only the 5 year olds could play, not the 4 year olds.
Kristi: I bet you can’t wait until you’re five.

It’s now Monday, his 3rd day of preschool. This morning at breakfast we asked him if he thought he’d play hockey today. With his mouth full of cereal, he matter-of-factly said, “Cancelled.” However, I guess it wasn’t cancelled, because this afternoon he told Ted he scored 10 goals in hockey today.

Tonight during prayers he thanked God for hockey. I thank God for little boys with great imaginations.