A
Children’s Story About Speaking Calmly and Kindly
By
Bill Conley
Moral
of the Story:
A peaceful home is a happy home
where people speak kindly, calmly, and respectfully to one another. Yelling,
screaming, and shouting can make others feel nervous, upset, or scared, even
when we are excited. If you need help, want attention, or wish to express your
feelings, the best way is to use a calm voice and clear words. Learning to
speak peacefully helps everyone feel safe, loved, heard, and respected inside
the home.
In a cozy little cabin near the edge
of the forest lived a bear cub named Benny.
Benny was big for his age, had
fluffy brown fur, and possessed a voice that could shake leaves right off the
trees.
And Benny loved to yell.
“Mommmmmmmm!” he would shout from
upstairs.
“Dadddddddd!” he would roar from the
backyard.
“Sissssssssyyyyy!” he would scream
from the kitchen.
Sometimes Benny yelled because he
was excited.
Sometimes he yelled because he
wanted attention.
Sometimes he yelled simply because
yelling felt fun.
But inside the cabin, all that
shouting created a lot of noise.
One morning, Benny burst into the
kitchen.
“MOM! WHERE ARE MY BLUE SOCKS?”
His mother nearly dropped the
pancake batter.
“Benny,” she said gently, “please
use your calm voice.”
“But I need my socks!” Benny
shouted.
His little sister Bella covered her
ears.
His father looked up from his
newspaper.
The family dog ran under the table.
Benny found his socks sitting right
beside him the entire time.
At breakfast, Benny yelled again.
“CAN I HAVE MORE SYRUP?”
His father slowly put down his fork.
“Benny,” he said calmly, “this is a
house of peace. We do not yell, scream, or shout to get attention. If you want
something, speak clearly and kindly.”
Benny sighed.
“But I’m just excited.”
“It is okay to feel excited,” his
mother explained. “But excitement does not mean we should make others
uncomfortable.”
Bella smiled.
“When people yell, it makes my tummy
feel funny.”
That afternoon, Benny went outside to
play with his friends Oliver the Owl and Ricky the Rabbit.
While they played tag through the
meadow, Benny suddenly spotted a butterfly.
“LOOK AT THAT HUGE BUTTERFLY!” he
screamed.
Oliver nearly fell off the fence.
Ricky jumped straight into a bush.
“Benny!” Ricky said, brushing leaves
from his fur. “You scared us!”
“I didn’t mean to,” Benny replied.
Oliver nodded wisely.
“You do not have to yell for people
to hear you. Calm voices work much better.”
Benny thought about that for a
moment.
Later that evening, Benny’s
grandmother came over for dinner.
Grandma Bear was kind, gentle, and
peaceful.
She never yelled.
Not once.
When everyone sat down to eat, Benny
suddenly shouted again.
“PASS THE CORN!”
Grandma Bear slowly looked at him.
Then she smiled warmly.
“Benny,” she said softly, “have you
ever noticed something?”
“What?” Benny asked.
“When people yell, everyone else
becomes tense. But when people speak calmly, the whole room feels peaceful.”
Benny looked around the table.
His little sister looked nervous.
The dog had hidden under a chair
again.
Even Benny felt a little
uncomfortable.
Grandma Bear reached over and held
his paw.
“A strong person does not need the
loudest voice in the room. A strong person learns self-control.”
That sentence stayed in Benny’s mind
all evening long.
The next morning, Benny woke up
excited because it was Forest Fair Day.
He ran downstairs and almost
shouted.
Then he stopped himself.
He took a deep breath.
“Mom,” he said calmly, “can we leave
early for the fair?”
His mother smiled immediately.
“Of course we can.”
Wow, Benny thought.
That worked really well.
At the fair, Benny noticed something
interesting.
Near the pony rides, two little
foxes were screaming at each other.
Everyone nearby looked
uncomfortable.
Parents turned around.
Children backed away.
The loud shouting made the entire
area feel stressful.
Then Benny walked over to the cookie
booth, where Mrs. Deer quietly greeted customers with a warm smile.
People lined up happily.
Everyone around her seemed calm and
cheerful.
Benny finally understood.
Noise and yelling changed the feeling
of a room.
Peaceful voices changed it, too.
That evening, Benny gathered his
family together.
“I want to say something,” he said
quietly.
His father smiled.
“We’re listening.”
Benny took a deep breath.
“I think I finally understand why
yelling is not good. When I scream or shout, it makes everybody feel nervous or
upset. I don’t want our home to feel that way.”
Bella hugged him immediately.
“I like Calm Benny,” she giggled.
His mother kissed the top of his
head.
“We all get excited sometimes,” she
said. “The important thing is learning how to express ourselves kindly.”
From that day forward, Benny
practiced using calm words.
Instead of yelling:
“MOMMMMM!”
He would walk into the room and say:
“Mom, may I ask you something?”
Instead of screaming across the
house:
“WHERE’S MY SHOES?”
He would calmly ask:
“Has anyone seen my shoes?”
And something amazing began to
happen inside the cabin.
The home felt softer.
Warmer.
Happier.
Even the dog stopped hiding under
the table.
One evening, Benny heard loud
shouting coming from outside.
Two raccoons were arguing over a
basketball.
Benny walked over calmly.
“You know,” he said kindly, “when
people yell, nobody really listens. But when people speak peacefully, everyone
understands better.”
The raccoons blinked.
Then one of them spoke softly.
“You’re right.”
Soon, the argument disappeared.
As the sun began to set, Benny
smiled proudly.
He had learned something very
important.
Being loud was not the same thing as
being heard.
And a peaceful voice could make a
peaceful home.
Moral
of the Story Poem:
A peaceful home feels safe and
bright,
With calm, soft words both day and night.
No yelling loudly from room to room,
No shouting makes hearts feel gloomy.
Speak with kindness, clear and slow,
And love inside the house will grow.
The strongest voice is calm and true,
And peaceful words bring joy to you.
Questions
for Parents and Children:
1.
How does it make you feel when
someone yells or screams inside the house?
2.
What are some better ways to get
someone’s attention without shouting?
3.
Why do calm and peaceful words help
make a home feel happy and safe?
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