By Bill Conley
Moral of the Story:
You don’t always have to have what someone else is using. Sharing means giving
others a chance, just like you’d want one. Waiting your turn shows kindness,
patience, and understanding. The best friendships are built on taking turns,
not taking things.
In the sunny meadows of Willow Hill
lived a sweet little turtle named Tina. Tina had a shiny shell, curious eyes,
and a giggle that sounded like wind chimes in the breeze.
Tina loved playing with her
friends—Daisy the Duck, Freddy the Fox, and Bella the Bunny. They did
everything together: coloring, digging in the sandbox, and riding scooters up
and down the winding path behind the pond.
But Tina had one little problem.
She always wanted what someone else
was using.
One sunny morning, the friends
gathered under the big oak tree with a big box of crayons.
“Ooh! I want purple!” Tina shouted,
diving for the crayon in Bella’s hand.
“But I’m using it right now,” said
Bella politely. “You can have it next.”
Tina frowned. “But I want it now!”
“There’s a whole box of colors,”
Freddy said, holding up the red and blue. “You can start with one of these.”
But Tina crossed her arms and
pouted. “I don’t want red or blue. I want what Bella has.”
Bella took a deep breath. “Tina,
I’ll be done in a minute. If we all grab at the same thing, nobody gets to
enjoy it.”
Tina slumped down, huffing and
puffing, but Bella kept coloring. And you know what? Two minutes later, Bella
smiled and said, “Okay, Tina. Your turn with purple.”
Tina blinked. “Really?”
“Of course,” Bella said kindly. “You
waited. That was very patient.”
Tina smiled and started coloring.
She realized that the picture looked even better because she used red, orange,
and yellow first, and purple at the end.
Later that day, the friends moved to
the sandbox.
Freddy had the big green shovel—the
biggest one in the box. And Tina immediately wanted that too.
“Can I have it?” she asked.
“I just started digging my tunnel,”
Freddy said. “But when I’m done, it’s yours.”
Tina started reaching for it anyway,
but then she stopped. She remembered what Bella said earlier.
Instead of throwing a fit, she
grabbed the small blue scoop and started making a turtle-shaped sandcastle.
Freddy glanced over. “That’s a
pretty cool castle.”
“Thanks,” said Tina. “I figured I’d
make this while I waited.”
A few minutes later, Freddy tapped
her on the shell. “Here you go. Your turn.”
Tina’s eyes lit up. “Thanks,
Freddy!”
Tina was starting to get the hang of
it.
The next day, everyone was riding
scooters behind the pond. There were four scooters, but one was bright pink and
sparkled in the sun. Naturally, Bella got to it first.
“I want the pink one!” Tina said.
“You can use mine after me,” Bella
replied. “We’ll each take a turn.”
“But I don’t like this one,” Tina
said, pointing at the plain blue scooter.
“It still goes fast!” Daisy said.
“Let’s have a race!”
Tina pouted but finally climbed on
the blue scooter. And guess what?
She won the race.
She forgot all about the pink
one—until Bella called, “Tina, it’s your turn now!”
Tina was so surprised that she had
already forgotten she was waiting. And that’s when something changed.
She looked at her friends. Nobody
was yelling. Nobody was grabbing. Everyone was smiling and laughing.
Because everyone was taking turns.
That evening, Tina’s mom tucked her
into bed.
“How was your day, sweetheart?”
“Good,” Tina said. “I wanted the
purple crayon, the big shovel, and the sparkly scooter. But I waited.”
Mom smiled. “And how did that feel?”
“Pretty good, actually,” Tina said.
“I still got my turn. And while I was waiting, I had fun with other things.
It’s not the end of the world if I don’t get what I want right away.”
Her mom kissed her forehead. “That’s
called growing up.”
Tina grinned. “I think I like
growing up.”
And from that day on, whenever Tina
saw someone else with something she liked, she didn’t grab or shout or pout.
She smiled, waited her turn, and found something else to enjoy in the meantime.
Because Tina the Turtle had learned
an important lesson:
Sharing isn’t about who gets it
first. It’s about making sure everyone gets a turn.
Moral to the Story Poem:
To share and wait is kind and smart,
It shows you have a loving heart.
You don’t need things right now, today—
Your turn will come—just play your way.
Questions to Talk About with a Parent
or Caregiver:
1. Why is it important for a child to wait their turn
instead of grabbing something another child is using?
2. How do you think Tina felt when she waited patiently
and still got her turn?
3. Can you and your parent or caregiver remember a time
when you shared or waited, and it made someone else happy?
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