Why kids never miss the point of a story

a lesson my son taught me in the car

Author

Stephen Stanberry
December 6th, 2025

In partnership with

Hey friend!,

It's happening right now.

As you read this, adults everywhere are telling stories that sound polished, safe, and flat.

Some will close this email and keep editing the life out of their stories.

Others will pay attention to the moments that still hold feeling.

The gap between these two groups isn't skill. It's honesty.

Here’s what I know about people who tell stories that actually land:

They don’t over-explain. They don’t hide the emotion. They don’t filter themselves into something unrecognizable.

They say the thing that mattered, when it mattered.

The Clarity Reality

Yesterday, my son started talking in the car.

No preamble. No structure. No setup.

He jumped straight into the part that carried weight for him.

Someone took his pencil.
He felt upset.
He wanted it back.

Simple. Direct. Human.

But here’s the truth adults don’t want to admit: We complicate our stories because we’re scared of being seen.

What’s Really at Stake?

If you keep storytelling the adult way:

Your writing feels polished but hollow
People read you but don’t feel you
Your message sounds correct but not alive
The meaning gets lost under all the explaining
If you return to the childlike way:

Your stories hit emotionally
Your voice feels unmistakably yours
People lean in because they sense truth
You reconnect with the reason you wrote in the first place
The Storytelling Decision

You can keep softening the moments that shaped you.

Or you can name what happened, name how it felt, and name what changed.

That’s the entire craft in three lines.

What you gain:

Clarity in your voice
Confidence in your message
Stories that stay with people
What you don’t need:

More techniques
More polishing
More distancing yourself from your own life
The Reflection Process

Because the heart of great storytelling is simple:

People connect when they feel you’re telling the truth.

If you want your next story to land, start with the feeling underneath it.

And if you’re brave enough to write from that place, your work becomes something people remember.

Talk soon,
Stephen

P.S. What feeling sits underneath the story you’re trying to tell this week? Reply with one word.

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