Boys and sticks

Don’t expect him to grow out of that anytime soon Greta; the sticks just get bigger, take on meaning and will get carted home to add to his “collection” of sticks which will litter the house until he is distracted enough for you to get rid of them!?. Both my son and grandson did this. In fact, my son sent me a photo of a stick he found when he was out for a walk with his wife recently. He had lovingly sanded it, waxed it and polished it and it has become his new walking best friend!

I don’t know about sticks, but one of our boys used to always pick up stones or pebbles. This gave him a distinct list to starboard, and if we visited friends with gravel drives, he always ended up with a pocketful.

That too!?‍♀️

Brings back memories.

My daughter used to ‘rescue’ worms! Washing her clothes could be traumatic (for me and the worms).

My eldest granddaughter became besotted with stones as a toddler, she never came home without at least a few.

On my first visit to her new house, when she was three, she waved her hands around the front garden, which was laid to gravel, and declared solemnly, "Granny, all these stones are mine".

When I moved in 2000, I found, in the garage, a bamboo stick which my son, then 10, had insisted in bringing home from Madeira in 1983.

If you are walking with a small boy he must always have a poking stick. I think it is in the rules.

That reminds me of when my own daughter was little. Whenever she was in the garden, she used to bring stones inside and fill people's shoes with them.

boat?.

There always used to be a whole heap of sticks outside the house that my DGS had taken home but wasn't allowed to take inside. In fact, there are sometimes some there even now (he's eight this year).
In autumn, it is replaced by a heap of conkers.

All my four GS's collect sticks when out on walks. Which is pretty frequent.
It ranks with climbing trees and swinging on low branches.
The (dainty) GD's scoff and pick wild flowers instead.

We used to play a game with all the sticks that preschool GS would collect when out in the woods. DH would sit down somewhere while we went ahead and made a trail laying the sticks out in arrow shapes to indicate direction. Then grandad would come and make a great show of looking for us while we were hiding behind a tree! ?You had to be there......!

My GS used to keep a large store under his bed when he was 4/5. Must be a type of instinct!

Both my granddaughters and my grandson like to have a poking stick on walks. Today my two year old granddaughter discovered the noise you can make by dragging a stick along railings. Pure delight! Fortunately, we cross a bridge to get back, so she can play Pooh sticks, which gets rid of them before we get back to my apartment.

My boys favourite where stones and pebbles polished and kept in a big tub they remembered where they had collected all of them,some of them are still in pots in our back garden after all these years.

Both of my daughters required sticks on walks as well. It’s not just boys, but rather an age thing.

Very very large piles of sticks at my door lol

I still have stones all around the house in various pots and decorative saucer type things and a few special polished ones under my pillow the kids and grandkids all know about my pebbles and tell me they ll make sure I have some with me when I croak it

I have benefitted from my DGS's passion for collecting sticks. I use them for staking up plants both in the borders and in my pots. Even if he is out with DS he will spot one and says "I think Granny will like this one"! Sometimes I get really lucky when they have been having a walk on a beach and get a really nice piece of driftwood.

Both my boys did - and now three of our four male grandsons pick up sticks all the time. Some are HUGE.
The grandson who doesn’t do it much, is made to leave it in the woods, park or wherever. The others take them home, as mine did, building up substantial collections in hallways and porches...

Have you read Stick Man with his Greta - there is also a short film which is lovely.

If he likes sticks (and who doesn't ) then he will love Stick Man.

I like picking up small smooth stones, pebbles and shells, unfortunately it's not allowed to take them off the beach so they get thrown back into the sea.

typo and bad grammar!!

A natural phenomenon I think. DGS, 7 yesterday, has brought back sticks ever since he could walk. They are left by the bin, never to be used again. We have had to dissuade him from bringing half a tree home at times. We try to re-distribute them when he isn’t looking. Stones too. Often hear them rattling round the washing machine,

These are lovely posts with charming stories. What is encouraging is that small children still find simple things interesting despite the high-tech environment they grow up in. My other grandson (5 years old) was reluctant the other day to go for a walk but eventually he agreed. We hadn't walked far when he found a one pound coin in the gutter. He was delighted. You never know what you may find when you step outside.

Jalima, I haven't read 'Stick man' but will look out for it. I do like Alex Scheffler's illustrations.