The Doll's Storybook

Stories about dolls who live in our world. Although these stories are suitable for children, they should check with their parents before reading and always be careful online. Readers are invited to donate to a charity supporting pediatric cancer treatment and research. Images shown are taken by the author or from a free image website with attribution and appreciation. The author has no connection with Götz Puppenmanufaktur, but gives them credit for the amazing dolls they produce.

Showing posts with label problem. Show all posts

Friday, October 11, 2024

A Different Kind of Challenge

Veronika was sitting on the windowsill, reading, when she heard Emil come in through the door.

"How was your day at school?" she asked.

Then she noticed that Emil looked concerned or worried. "What's the matter?" she asked when he looked up at her.

"Well," Emil began, as he climbed up on the windowsill, "there's a boy in my class who is strange," he said. "He coughs a lot, even though he isn't sick, and sometimes he says a bad word. The teacher doesn't scold him. It surprises me that he doesn't. Instead, the teacher scolds the kids who laugh at the bad word."

"Are you talking about Max?" Veronika asked.

"Yes," Emil replied. "How did you know?"

"I know Max," Veronika said. "He's a nice kid. He doesn't mean the bad words he says. He can't help saying them or the coughing. Sometimes his mouth twitches, too," she added. "He can't help that, either."

"You're right!" Emil exclaimed. "He does that, too. I can't even make my mouth move that way. Why does he do that?"

"It isn't something he means to do," Veronika explained. "He can't help it. He came out of the factory that way. That happens sometimes."

"So he's a little like me," Emil said. "I came out of the factory unable to hear and almost unable to see."

"That's true," Veronika agreed. "Your problem has been mostly fixed with your special glasses, but Max's problem is harder to fix."

"Can they do anything for Max?" Emil asked.

"I know he's taking some special pills," Veronika said. "The medicine helps, so it isn't as bad. He's having to learn ways to keep from saying bad words, but it isn't easy."

"The poor kid!" Emil said. "I guess I'm lucky! I think maybe my problem isn't as hard to live with as Max's problem."

"We're very happy you can see and hear with your special glasses, Emil," Veronika agreed.

"You know," Emil said, "I'm glad I'm not the only doll who isn’t perfect. I'm sorry Max has to go through this, but at least I know there's another doll who has problems."

Veronika looked at Emil. Then she said, "No one is perfect. We each have something that we have trouble with, maybe not always something others can see, but everyone has problems, and that isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes what doesn’t work right makes us better in some other way," she explained.

"Like the way I can hear what animals are saying?" Emil asked.

"Yes!" Veronika exclaimed. "Exactly like that! Maybe Max has a superpower no one knows about."
"Is that why some of the other boys pick on Max," Emil asked, "because they're afraid of him?"

"I know the boys you mean," Veronika agreed. "They are bullies. They pick on anyone who is different. They were mean to Mariah, because her vinyl is brown. It made her cry."

"She has learned to ignore them, so they have stopped," Veronika added.
"Do you mean they stopped because Mariah stopped getting upset?" Emil wanted to know.

"Yes," Veronika agreed. "Well, she still gets upset, but she ignores them. The bullies decided it was no fun anymore if they didn't see they were hurting her."
"If they enjoy hurting others," Emil pointed out, "they have a bigger problem than Max has."

"Yes," Veronika said, nodding. "They try to hurt dolls who are different because dolls who are different make them afraid."

"Wow!" Emil exclaimed. "I'm different, but they don't bully me." Then he thought of something. "Wait! Maybe they were trying to bully me when they called me 'Four Eyes,' but I thought it was a compliment. Having four eyes sounds better than having only two eyes. I think I even laughed."

"That's because you're grateful you can see at all," Veronika pointed out, "and by laughing you spoiled their fun."

Emil said, "That was when I was new here. They did it a couple of times and then stopped." Then he thought a moment. "They stopped because I wasn't hurt!"

"Yes," Veronika said. "They must be very unhappy dolls. Being afraid of dolls who are different is a real problem, and one those dolls have to fix for themselves, but we don't have to let it be a problem for us or for others."

"Today the bullies were picking on Max in the school yard," Emil said. "I saw Jolena walk over to where they were. She ignored the bullies and showed Max a book she had. She started talking to Max about the book."

"Max was interested in the book," Emil continued, "and stopped looking at the bullies."
"What did the bullies do then?" Veronika asked.

"They turned around and left," Emil said. Then Emil looked surprised. "I'll bet Jolena did that on purpose to get the boys to leave Max alone!" he exclaimed. "What a great idea!"

Veronika smiled. She knew he was right. It was just what Jolena would do. She also knew that Emil and other dolls were watching...and learning.

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia

Max the doll has what's called Tourette Syndrome a neurobiological disorder, like attention deficit and depression, that can occur in real human children and teenagers. It can be treated but not cured, although human people sometimes grow out of it.

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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Friday, November 19, 2021

Homework? What Homework?

"What are you doing, Mariah?" Pippa asked as she climbed up next to the older doll.

Mariah turned to look at Pippa. "I'm doing my homework," she replied.

"But you just got home!" Pippa cried. "Don't you want to play for a while before you do homework?"

Mariah laughed. "That isn't how I do it," she said.

"I've found that I do better if I do my homework before I play," Mariah explained, "while what I learned is still fresh in my mind. That's why I always do my homework first."

"Don't you need a break?" Pippa asked.

"I walked home with Charlotte," Mariah said. "That was a nice break. We talked about interesting things while we walked."

As you know, Charlotte and Mariah often walk to school and back together.

Sometimes they they ride bicycles if it's their turn to use them.

There are only three bicycles for eight dolls. Pippa is a little bit too small for the dolls' bicycles, so that's really three bicycles for seven dolls. It means that Mariah and Charlotte could ride almost every other day, if they wanted, but they often let the other dolls have their turn because they would rather walk.

"Walking home from school is a nice break," Mariah said again.

"Don't you want to play outside before it gets dark?" Pippa asked.

"We played outside during recess," Mariah said.

"I want to be sure my homework is done," Mariah added, "and sometimes I think of something later that I want to add to or change from what I've done. It would be too late to start if I'm already putting on my sleep mask to go to bed."

"I have found that doing my homework first works better for me," Mariah explained. "That's why I do it as soon as I get home."

Then Mariah thought for a moment. "Pippa," she said, "when do you do your homework?"

"When I feel like it," Pippa said, throwing her hands up in the air to emphasize her point.

"When do you feel like it?" Mariah asked.

Pippa had to think about that. "Usually about bedtime," she replied. "Whenever I get to choose what I'd rather do, one thing or the other," Pippa explained, "I choose the activity I like best. If I have to decide whether I want to play or do my homework, I would usually rather play. If I have to decide whether I want to do homework or go to bed, I would rather do homework."

Mariah shook her head. Well, she rolled her head, actually. She would have rolled her eyes, but her eyes don't move, so she rolled her head instead. When she stopped rolling her head, she asked the younger doll, "And how is that working out for you?"

Pippa had to think about that. She didn't have a ready answer, because she had never thought about how well her decision-making was working for her.

"Sometimes," Pippa said, looking up to help her remember, "I don't get my homework finished, because you and the other dolls turn out the lights," she said, "even though you could sleep just fine with the lights on, because you're wearing your sleep masks. It's hard to write holding a flashlight!"

"Does that mean you go to school the next day without finishing your homework?" Mariah asked, clearly shocked.

"Yes, sometimes," Pippa replied.

"What does your teacher think about that?" was Mariah's next question.

"We had a talk a few days ago," Pippa said. "My teacher said she thought I was using my size to get away with not doing my work."

"Your size?" Mariah wanted to know. "What does your size have to do with it?"

"It's because I'm different from the other dolls," Pippa said. "Everyone else is your size, and I'm the only one who's small. My teacher said that even though some things are harder for me because I'm small, learning isn't one of them."

"That's certainly true!" Mariah agreed. "Your teacher is right. Your head may be a lot smaller than mine is, but your brain is just as big, because doll brains don't take up any space. That's why if someone takes our heads off, what they see inside looks like mostly empty space. You can't see our brains, because they are pretend brains, full of imagination."

Both dolls were quiet for a few minutes.

Finally Mariah spoke again. "It sounds like that––I mean, how you handle your homework––isn't working for you very well," she said, thoughtfully.

Both dolls were quiet for a few seconds. "I have an idea," Mariah said suddenly. "Why don't you bring your homework here and do it now, while I'm doing mine. We can do our homework together! That way, if I have a question about my homework, I can ask you, and you can help me," she suggested.

Pippa thought it would be nice to help Mariah, so she ran off to get her school books and her worksheet. Soon the two dolls were working side-by-side.

Every once in a while, Mariah would ask Pippa her opinion about something.

Pippa is a very good reader, so she has already learned a lot since she came out of her box. She knows that everything you read (including these stories) teaches you something you didn't know before.

Yes, Pippa is a very good reader...and Mariah is a very good teacher!

Cast--
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend

Pippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta