By Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Children’s Storyteller
Moral
of the Story:
Our hands were made for helping, not
hurting. Our words were made for kindness, not anger. When we hit or bite, we
hurt hearts, not just feelings. Gentleness shows strength, not weakness. When
we feel mad, we can take a breath and choose love.
Kindness brings peace to our home and joy to our hearts. Apologies heal wounds;
understanding prevents them. Real strength comes from staying calm and choosing
kindness.
In the cozy little den at the edge
of Maplewood Forest lived Benny the Bear with his mom, dad, and baby sister,
Bella. Benny was a sweet cub most of the time, but sometimes, when things
didn’t go his way, he got very mad.
One morning, Bella was playing with
Benny’s favorite red ball. “That’s mine!” Benny shouted.
Before his mom could stop him, Benny stomped over, grabbed the ball, and gave
Bella a shove.
Bella started to cry.
Mama Bear rushed over and knelt
beside them. “Benny,” she said softly but firmly, “did you just push your
sister?”
“She took my ball!” Benny said, crossing his arms.
Mama Bear picked up the ball and handed it to Benny. “I understand that made
you upset,” she said. “But hitting or pushing is never okay. Let’s talk about
it.”
Papa Bear came in from the kitchen.
“Son,” he said, “your hands are strong. But they’re meant for helping, not
hurting.”
Benny frowned. “But I was mad!”
Papa nodded. “We all get mad sometimes. Even grown-ups. But being mad doesn’t
give us permission to hurt someone else. That’s when we need to stop and take a
breath.”
Mama Bear wrapped her arm around
Benny. “When you hit, it doesn’t just hurt your sister’s body, it hurts her
heart. And I know you don’t want to do that.”
Benny looked at his little sister,
who was still sniffling. His ears drooped. “No… I don’t.”
Mama said gently, “Let’s show Bella
that we use gentle hands.”
Benny reached out slowly and patted Bella’s paw. “Sorry, Bella,” he said.
Bella smiled a tiny smile. “It’s okay, Benny.”
Mama smiled. “That’s much better.
See how much happier we all feel when we use love instead of anger?”
Later that day, something else
happened. Benny and Bella were coloring. Bella accidentally scribbled on
Benny’s picture.
“Bella!” Benny yelled. He almost swiped the crayon out of her hand, but then he
stopped.
He remembered what Mama said: Our
hands are for helping, not hurting.
So Benny took a big breath, one,
two, three, and said, “It’s okay, Bella. Let’s start a new picture together.”
Mama Bear smiled from across the
room. “I saw that, Benny. You stayed calm and used kind words. That’s how big
bears handle their feelings.”
Benny felt proud. “I did, didn’t I?”
Papa Bear laughed. “That’s our boy!”
At bedtime, Mama tucked him in. “Benny,
can I tell you something?”
“Sure.”
“Every time you choose to be gentle, your heart grows stronger. Every time you
choose kind words, your family grows happier.”
Benny snuggled into his blanket. “So
being kind is like exercising my heart?”
Mama smiled. “Exactly.”
And from that day forward, whenever
Benny started to feel mad, he would pause, take a deep breath, and remember:
“My paws are for helping. My mouth is for kindness. My heart is for love.”
After Benny went to bed, Mama and
Papa Bear sat together in the rocking chair.
Papa sighed. “It’s hard when he acts
out like that.”
Mama nodded. “It is. But he’s learning. We can’t just punish the behavior; we
have to teach him why it’s wrong and what to do instead.”
Papa smiled. “You’re right. We’ll
keep showing him by example how to stay calm, how to use words, and how to love.”
Mama said softly, “Children don’t learn love through fear. They learn it
through patience and understanding.”
They both smiled. They knew that
even small lessons, like one gentle conversation about hitting, could shape the
kind of bear Benny would grow up to be.
And they promised to keep reminding
him, every single day, that kindness is the strongest power of all.
Poem:
Hands to help, not push or shove,
Hearts to heal with words of love.
When we’re mad, take one deep breath.
Let kindness stop our anger’s path.
A gentle touch, a caring tone,
Turns any house into a home.
Strength is not in roar or fight,
But choosing peace and doing right.
Discussion
Questions:
1.
Why did Mama and Papa Bear say it’s
never okay to hit or bite?
2.
What did Benny do differently the
second time he got mad?
3.
What can you do when you
start to feel angry, so you can stay calm and be kind?
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