Penny the Porcupine Learns Not to Wait - A Children's Story

Penny the Porcupine Learns Not to Wait
By Bill Conley

Moral of the Story:

Putting things off until “later” often means they don’t get done at all, or cause stress when rushed. Life works better when you do things on time, stay organized, and follow through without delay. Procrastinating might seem easier in the moment, but it makes everything harder in the end. Success starts with starting—and building the habit of taking care of your responsibilities right away.

Penny the Porcupine lived near the shady stream in Clover Bend Forest.

She was cheerful, playful, and had big dreams—like building a clubhouse, writing a storybook, and learning how to cook her favorite mushroom stew.

There was just one problem: Penny liked to wait.

She always told herself, “I’ll do it later.”

When Miss Owl gave homework on Monday, Penny would say, “I’ve got plenty of time. I’ll do it tomorrow.”

When tomorrow came, she said, “Well, I still have a few more days.”

By Thursday night, she was scrambling with sleepy eyes and messy writing.

“I wish I had started earlier,” she’d sigh.

The next week? Same thing.

At home, Penny’s room was a mess.

“I’ll clean it on Saturday,” she said on Monday.

But Saturday came and went, and her mom said gently, “Penny, your floor is disappearing under your laundry pile!”

“I know, I know,” Penny groaned. “I just don’t feel like doing it now.”

One Friday, Miss Owl announced a big project.

“Next week, we’ll each present something we built, wrote, or created. It’s called the Now or Later Challenge. You choose your task, but you must work on it through the week and be ready by Friday.”

Penny’s eyes lit up. “This is perfect! I’ll write a storybook with drawings and everything!”

That night, she got out her pencils and paper.

Then she saw her puzzle. “I’ll just finish this first,” she thought.

Then it was dinnertime.

Then bedtime.

“I’ll start tomorrow,” she said.

Saturday: “I want to play outside today. I’ll start Sunday.”

Sunday: “Too tired from playing! Monday will be better.”

Monday: “Ugh, homework. Maybe Tuesday.”

Tuesday: “Wait—wasn’t I supposed to clean my room, too?”

By Wednesday, Penny had drawn one stick figure and written one sentence.

“Only two days left,” she muttered.

She stayed up late trying to write—but her story didn’t make sense, and her drawings were rushed.

Friday came fast.

In class, Milo the Mole showed his clay sculpture. Olive the Owl shared her poem. Ricky the Raccoon had built a bird feeder.

Penny stood at the front of the room, holding a wrinkled piece of paper.

She read her story quietly, stumbling over the words.

When she finished, no one clapped.

They didn’t laugh or frown—they just felt sorry.

Miss Owl gently said, “Thank you, Penny.”

Penny sat down, cheeks warm.

“I should’ve started earlier,” she whispered.

That afternoon, Penny went to her grandma’s cottage near the creek.

Grandma was baking berry biscuits.

“How was your project, Penny?”

“Awful,” Penny said. “I waited too long.”

Her grandma wiped flour from her paws and sat down.

“Procrastination is a sneaky thing,” she said.

“What’s that?” Penny asked.

“Procrastination means putting things off—even when you know they need to get done.”

“Oh,” said Penny. “That’s me.”

Grandma nodded. “Everyone procrastinates sometimes. But when it becomes a habit, it steals your time and peace.”

“Peace?” Penny asked.

“Yes,” said Grandma. “When you stay on top of things, your mind feels clear. But when you wait too long, your thoughts feel scrambled.”

Penny’s eyes widened. “That’s exactly how I felt yesterday.”

Her grandma stood and handed her a wooden spoon.

“Help me finish the biscuits. We’re going to fix this together.”

Penny stirred the dough, measured the flour, and stayed focused.

In 20 minutes, they were done.

“That was fast,” Penny said.

“That’s the magic of starting,” Grandma smiled. “When you start right away, you finish with time to spare.”

Penny looked thoughtful. “Starting is the hardest part.”

“But it gets easier the more you do it,” Grandma said. “And once you start, you’re already halfway done.”

The next week, Miss Owl announced a new challenge:

“Operation: On Time!”

Everyone had to complete small daily tasks—homework, cleaning their desk, feeding the class pet—on time.

Penny took a deep breath. “I’m going to try this.”

That night, she started her homework right after dinner.

Then she laid out her clothes for the next day.

Then she cleaned her room for 10 minutes.

“It wasn’t so bad!” she told her mom. “Actually… it felt pretty great!”

Every day that week, Penny stayed on task.

Her desk stayed clean.

Her homework was neat.

And she wasn’t rushing anymore.

By Friday, Miss Owl said, “Penny, you’ve had a perfect week! What changed?”

Penny smiled. “I stopped waiting. I started starting.”

The class laughed.

Penny felt proud.

Not because she was faster than others, or smarter, or more talented.

But because she was learning something more valuable:

Discipline. Focus. And the joy of being dependable.

Later that month, she wrote and illustrated a full storybook on time.

She built a birdhouse with Grandpa without putting it off.

She even cleaned her room every Saturday before breakfast!

Her mom clapped. “Penny, I think you’ve turned over a new leaf!”

Penny smiled. “No more ‘later’—it’s now or never.”

That evening, she wrote a note for herself and taped it above her desk:

“Don’t wait. Start now. You’ll feel better later.”

She called it her “power phrase.”

And every time she read it, she smiled and said, “Let’s get started.”

Moral Poem to End the Story:

Don’t say “later”—start today,
Get your work done, then go play.
Time is precious—don’t delay,
Start right now, you’ll lead the way!