Trouble at School

"What happened to you?" Veronika asked Billy when he and Mariah came in.

Billy had a bandage on his face.

"It was a rough day at school," Billy sighed.
"Billy got into a fight," Mariah said. "He was defending my honor!"

"Fights are not good, no matter the reason, Mariah," Veronika said.

"Billy, tell me what happened," Veronika suggested.
"Well," Billy began, "Richie and Tom were picking on Mariah during recess. They called her a word I never heard before, but it sounded ugly."

"That's right," Mariah said. "I didn't know what it meant, either, but it sounded awful the way they said it. It made me feel bad. I wanted to cry."

"Richie said Mariah must be dumb, because her vinyl is a dark color," Billy went on. "Mariah is one of the smartest dolls I know, and even if she weren't it isn't nice to make fun of dolls who have difficulty with things. So I punched him in the nose."

Veronika shook her head. "So he hit you back," she suggested.

"Yes," Billy agreed. "Then a teacher came and took us both to the nurse and then to the principal. The principal told us that it's wrong to hit other dolls, no matter what they have done."

"The principal is right, Billy," Veronika said. "It's good that you wanted to help Mariah, and Richie and Tom were very naughty to pick on her, but hitting doesn't solve problems."

"But I had to do something!" Billy exclaimed. "Mariah is my friend and my sister, and what they were saying was unkind! I was very angry."

"It made me feel very bad," Mariah said. "I was glad Billy wanted to help."

"It's normal to feel angry sometimes, Billy," Veronika said. "It's what you do with that anger that's important." She thought for a moment. "It sounds like Tom was just going along with Richie," she suggested. "Tell me what you know about Richie."

"Well, Mariah began, "Richie doesn't do well in class. I think he doesn't do his homework and doesn't study."

"We had a spelling test today," Mariah continued. "I got all the words right, but Richie missed a lot of them. He said I must have cheated," she said, "but I didn't!"

"Of course you didn't!" Veronika exclaimed. "You are a very smart doll, and you study. You know that cheating is wrong, too, and that if you make mistakes on a test it helps you find out what you need to work on."

"Then why would he say that I cheated and that he knew I must be dumb because my vinyl is dark?" Mariah wanted to know.

"Sometimes dolls are naughty to get attention or to make themselves feel better when they don't think they are good enough," Veronika replied. "Some dolls are so unhappy and afraid that they have to believe they are better than others because of the way they look, like the color of their vinyl."

"That's very sad," said Billy.
"It is sad," Veronika agreed. "We need to help dolls who feel bad about themselves by setting a good example for them. So, Billy, what do you think you could have done when you found the boys picking on Mariah?" Veronika asked.

Billy thought for a minute. He looked at Mariah. "Maybe I should have just shown that Mariah was my friend," he suggested. "I could have asked her to help me study for the next spelling test. I missed two of the words."

"That's a very good idea, Billy, because it shows them than you know Mariah is a good student," Veronika said.
"Then we could have walked away together," Mariah suggested.

"You could do that, but you don't need to walk away unless you are afraid, Mariah," Veronika said. "I think they want to get attention and make you feel bad. If you stay where you are but ignore them and don't let them get you into a fight or argument, you will do more good. Both of you could pretend you didn't hear the bad things they said, even though they might have said even worse things to you both, because you were spoiling their fun. You would be setting a good example of how to treat other dolls and showing them that they couldn't make you be naughty, too."

"Remember that Monday was a holiday?" Veronika went on. "It was the day each year when we honor a great man named Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He taught us not to give in to mean people, but not to fight back by hitting, either. He said, 'Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.' If you are kind to dolls who are mean to you, they don't enjoy being mean so much. They might even begin to respect you."
Would Richie and Tom start being nice, then?" Billy asked.

"That would be up to them," Veronika explained. "We can't make others be nice. They have to learn that on their own, but we can help by setting a good example. Besides, when you set a good example for other dolls, you will feel better about yourself."
"One thing still worries me, though," Mariah said, looking down at her beautiful, chocolaty hands. "Does the color of a doll's vinyl mean they are smarter or dumber? I don't know how that works."

"Well," Veronika said, "dolls can be smarter or not as smart, because we are all different, but it has nothing to do with what you look like. We can be good at some things and not as good at others. Life experiences also change us, so we learn to use our abilities or we don't. A lot of it is up to us. The important thing is to be the best Mariah and Billy that you can be."
"Now I feel bad that I hit Richie," Billy said. "Now I feel sorry for him instead of hating him."

"I feel sorry for them both," Mariah said. "Tom went along with Richie, and he shouldn't have. Why did he do that? I wonder if he feels bad about himself, too. I'm sorry I hated them."

"What you're feeling is guilt, because you didn't know they are unhappy. What do you suppose you can do with that feeling?" Veronika asked.
"Maybe I can tell Richie I'm sorry I hit him," Billy answered.
"Maybe we can be nice to Richie and Tom," Mariah suggested.
"You are both very smart dolls," Veronika said, getting up. "You learn from your mistakes, and you try to be the best dolls that you can be. Now, you must be pretending to be hungry. Let's go have a snack."

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily of London

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz or Classic Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to a charity that supports pediatric cancer, such as CURE Childhood Cancer or St. Baldrick's Foundation.
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM Pacific Time.

Copyright © 2019, 2024 by Peggy Stuart

Boredom!

Billy was bored. The snow was gone for now, so he couldn't use his sled. He had put his LEGO set together several times and didn't want to do it again right away.

He had read the books on the bookshelf. He had taken Freckles for a walk. He was tired of playing games on the iPad. He was tired of watching TV. He wondered what the girls did when they were bored.
He found Mandy, sitting with her knitting. "What are you up to, Billy?," Mandy asked.

"Nothing," Billy replied. "That's the problem. I'm bored, and I can't think of anything interesting to do."
"I get bored sometimes, too," Mandy said. "When I'm bored, I try to find a new knitting project I can plan for. I think about what colors I want to use. By then, I usually am looking forward to the new project, so I want to finish the one I'm working on, and that makes it more fun."

"But I don't knit," Billy said.

"Sometimes it's good just to sit and think, or imagine things in your head, or work out a problem," Mandy suggested.
"Thanks, Mandy," Billy said. "Sitting still is hard for me, but I'll try to think about how to keep from being bored."
"We all have to learn to deal with boredom in our own way, Billy. You're a smart doll. You'll find a way," Mandy assured him.

Billy found Jolena busy adjusting the bindings on her skis. "Jolena, do you ever get bored?" he asked.

"Sure I do," she replied. "Everyone gets bored sometimes."
"What do you do to stop being bored?" Billy asked.
"Well," Jolena began, "sometimes I try to think up a new trick I can do on my skis. Sometimes I daydream, or I pretend I can do something impossible, like fly over the housetops and look down at everything on the ground. Or I pretend I'm dancing onstage in front of a lot of people and not afraid I'll make a mistake." 

Are you bored?" Jolena asked Billy.
"Yes," Billy replied. "I can't think of anything fun to do. Daydreaming or pretending sounds like fun, but I don't like to sit still for long."

"You don't have to sit still to pretend," Jolena said. "You can act out what you're pretending." Billy thanked Jolena for the suggestions. He had a lot to think about.
Charlotte was practicing her violin when Billy found her. She was playing scales.

She stopped playing when Billy came in, because she knew he had something to say. "Charlotte, do you ever get bored?" Billy asked.

"Everyone gets bored," Charlotte said.
"What do you do to stop being bored?" Billy asked.
"I like to make up little tunes in my head," Charlotte replied. "Sometimes I like to pretend I'm performing in an orchestra with lots of people listening, or alone on a stage. I imagine I'm really good, and that people love to listen to me."

"I don't know what to pretend," Billy said, "and I'm not sure I would think that being on a stage in front of a lot of people is fun."
"You'll think of something," Charlotte said. "We all have to find our own ways to deal with boredom."
"I'll keep working on it, Charlotte," Billy said. "Thanks."
Billy decided to ask Mariah about his problem. He found her in the dining room window. She was writing in her journal. She looked up.

"Mariah," Billy began, "I'm trying to learn how to deal with boredom. Do you get bored?"
"Everyone gets bored," Mariah said. "When I get bored, I try to make up a story in my head. Then I write it down." 

"Sometimes I like to pretend I'm a famous writer," Mariah went on. "I imagine myself signing books in a book store or receiving an award for one of my books."

"I wouldn't know what to write about," Billy said, "and signing books doesn't sound like fun to me."
"Just write what you did during the day, Billy," Mariah suggested. "That's what I do with my journal. I write what I did and what I am thinking about. Then I can go back and read it when I get bored."
"I'll try to think how I can make that work for me. Thanks, Mariah," Billy said.

"You'll find something you like to do, Billy," Mariah told him.
Billy decided he would start by taking Freckles for another walk. While he was getting his jacket, he found Veronika reading a book. He told her he was bored and asked if she had any suggestions for what to do.

"Boredom is good for us," Veronika said. "It gives us a chance to learn how to entertain ourselves."

I have lots of things I like to do to stop being bored, but they may not work for you. You will find something. Don't worry about it."
Billy looked down at the floor. "I guess I'll take Freckles for another walk," he said. "She never minds going out."

About twenty minutes later, Veronika was sitting on the bottom step of the staircase, watching the squirrels play in the front yard, when Billy and Freckles came back into the house. Billy was very excited. "You'll never guess what happened!" he cried.

Veronika waited, because she was sure he was going to tell her.
"When I took Freckles out, I saw the lady across the street, looking up into the tree," he said. "She was upset. She has a new little kitten, and it had run out the door when she opened it. It climbed up into the tree and wouldn't come down."

"Cats do that sometimes," Veronika said. "So then what happened?"
"I gave her Freckles' leash, and then I climbed up the tree," Billy replied.

"I talked to the kitten," Billy continued. "I told him I would help him, and he should just hold onto my neck. Then I climbed down and gave the kitten to the lady. She thanked me and handed Freckles' leash back to me."

"That was a nice thing to do, Billy," Veronika said, "and very brave. The kitten must have been almost as big as you. Weren't you afraid he would scratch you?"

"My vinyl is tough," Billy replied. "I wasn't worried. The kitten was just frightened once he was outside," Billy replied. "The lady looked at me for a long time before she took the kitten back into the house. I don't think she has seen any dolls before," Billy said.
"At least not dolls that climb trees and rescue kittens!" Veronika laughed.
"You know, I'm not bored anymore," Billy said. "I think I'll borrow some paper from Mariah and write down everything that happened, so I don't forget it. It was an adventure!"

"Next time I'm bored, I'll read it and remember how exciting it was to rescue a kitten and how good I feel because I helped someone," Billy decided. "I think I'm a superhero in training!"

Now Billy knows what to do the next time he feels bored. What do you like to do when you're bored? 

Cast--
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily of London

You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.

Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Author's page on Amazon. 

Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

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Copyright © 2019, 2023 by Peggy Stuart