Flying or Lying?

 Veronika found Jolena looking sad.

"What's the matter," she asked.
"We were training in the gym for doing flips," Jolena told her. "We need to train for freestyle skiing all the time, you know, even when there is no snow."
"And?" asked Veronika.
"Shawn is a new kid. He has been bothering me. Today he said I was lying when I said I was flying." Jolena looked down at her hands. "I know he meant I did a bad thing, but I don't know what."

Veronika thought for a minute. "Tell me what you did and said," she suggested.
"Well," Jolena began, "when it was my turn to do a flip, I said I was flying. Then Shawn started making fun of me. He said I wasn't flying, I was lying. I don't understand, but it made me feel bad."

Veronika smiled. "I think I know what's going on," she said. "First of all, you weren't lying."
"I wasn't?" Jolena asked. 
"You were just saying how you felt," Veronika explained. "You didn't mean you were actually flying.”

"What is lying anyway?" Jolena asked.
"Well, let's say you took the last cookie on the plate and ate it," Veronika began.

"Then Mandy came along and said, 'Hey, who took the last cookie?’ You were afraid Mandy was going to be mad at you, so you said you didn't take it."

"Let's say that you said you saw Charlotte take it," Veronika said. "That's lying."

Jolena nodded. "That would be bad."
"Yes," Veronika agreed. "It would be a lie, because you said something that wasn't true, and you did it to protect yourself. It's a bad lie, because you hurt someone else at the same time."
"I wouldn't want to hurt Charlotte!" Jolena exclaimed.
"No, of course you wouldn't!" Veronika agreed. "But lying is saying something that isn't true. We should always tell the truth. Truth is very important. You would feel bad, because you knew you had done something that was wrong. And you hurt Charlotte with your lie, so that's even worse," Veronika went on. "And you would feel bad."
"Yes, I would," said Jolena. "That would be worse than having Mandy mad at me."
"And maybe Mandy would notice the crumbs on your face," Veronika suggested.

"And maybe I would have crumbs on my pants, too," Jolena agreed. "So Mandy would know. That would be worse than having Mandy mad at me for taking the cookie.”

"But pretending or using our imagination to explain how we feel isn't lying. And there are other things we can say that are not really true but are not really lies," Veronika said. "Let's say I ask you if my new dress looks good on me."

"Maybe you think pink isn't a good color for me, but you don't want to hurt my feelings, so you say I look beautiful in the dress," Veronika said. "That isn't exactly a lie, because I look beautiful to you, because you love me. It would be better, though, if you suggested another color might be better, and say it in a kind way, because it would help me, but it wasn't a bad lie.”

Jolena nodded. "I think I understand," she said. "When I said I was flying, I didn't really mean I was flying. I was just saying it felt like flying. But why did Shawn say I was lying, then?”
"I'm not sure," Veronika replied. "Tell me about Shawn."
Jolena explained that Shawn is new in class and isn't very good at the exercises yet.
"Jolena, you're very good at what you do," Veronika suggested, "so maybe he's jealous of you. Maybe he wants to be as good as you are, and it makes him feel bad that you are better than he is, so he's trying to make you feel bad, too."
"So what should I do?" asked Jolena.
"I think maybe if you encourage Shawn and point out his improvement as it happens, you'll find that he will start to feel better about himself," Veronika suggested. "However, you have no reason to feel bad about what you said, and he can't make you feel bad if you don't let him."

"That's what I'll do," Jolena said. "I'm lucky to have such a wise sister, only your example about the cookie doesn't really make any sense."
"Why not?" Veronika asked.
"Because dolls don't really like to eat cookies," Jolena replied. "We like to pretend to eat cookies. If I said I ate the cookie and said it to help myself and hurt someone else, then I would be lying!"

The dolls looked at each other and laughed. "Besides, you do look good in pink," Jolena added. "And that's the truth!"


Cast--

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Veronika: Götz Happy Kidz Vroni

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 and soon Classic Tales Retold: Stories from the Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 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 St. Jude. Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author for $20 including shipping. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

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Copyright © 2018, 2023 by Peggy Stuart

A Science Experiment, Part 2

The boys had a nice ride home from their adventures. They had ridden on the trail on the bicycles.

They had sat on the old log.

They had climbed on the rocks.

They had returned home on the bicycles.

They had talked about Billy's question. Why would Marty say he was good at something if he wasn't? It was puzzling. They wanted to talk with Veronika about it. 

"She's in the living room," Emil told Billy after they came inside.

Veronika and Pippa were reading.

"Veronika," Billy said, "I need your help to understand something."

Veronika closed her book.

"I want to know, too," Emil said.

Veronika patted the couch next to her. She wanted them to come up and sit with her. Pippa closed her book and patted the couch next to her, too.

Billy and Emil climbed up to sit between the two girls. Billy explained the whole thing, the way he had explained it to Emil. Everyone listened while Billy was talking.

"What I want to know," Billy said when he had finished, "is why Marty said he was good at science if he wasn't."

All Pippa could see was the back of Emil's head. She sometimes wished she were taller.

"Well," Veronika said, "I don't know Marty, and I don't know Adam, but dolls who are good at things usually don't feel the need to prove they are." 

"Dolls who brag a lot," Veronika went on, "those dolls do it, I think, because they are trying to convince themselves that they are better than they think they are." 

Pippa leaned forward. Now she could see better.

"I think maybe it's because they really feel bad about themselves," Veronika said.

This was a new idea to Emil and Billy. How could you feel bad about yourself. Sure, you could feel bad about something you did, but you knew, deep down, you just needed to learn more.

"Dolls are good at pretending," Veronika pointed out. "They are good at making others believe in what they are pretending, but maybe Marty's child criticizes and scolds Marty too much, so Marty feels bad about himself. Maybe Marty's child doesn't hold him and tell him how wonderful he is. What do you think?"

"I don't know the child Marty lives with," Billy replied, "but if Marty has to lie to feel better about himself, he must have a sad life."

"Maybe his child has a sad life," Veronika pointed out. "Maybe Marty's child feels bad about himself. Maybe Marty needs to know that he is helping his child deal with some unpleasant things. Maybe he is doing something very important to help, and he doesn't know it."

"I wonder if he would feel better about himself," Emil suggested, leaning forward, "if he knew it."

Again Pippa wished she could see better. It's difficult to be very small, sometimes.

"You don't have to be good at science to help someone feel better," Billy pointed out.

"Let's try to figure out a way to help Marty realize what an important doll he is," Emil suggested, "but we need to do it in a way that doesn't hurt his feelings."

Veronika nodded. "That's a good idea," she said, "and maybe if you ignore him when he brags, he won't do it so much." 

"Maybe we can get him to talk about what's happening at home," Billy said. "Maybe that way we can show him how important he is."

They all thought that was a good idea. They also thought about how the person who brags about how he's the best at something may not really be the person who is.

"Being short," said Pippa, "isn't as bad as feeling bad about yourself. If I had to pick, I'd rather be short."

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia

Pippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta

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.

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19832501/?claim=j3fj3mbb8kt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Copyright © 20212, 2024 by Peggy Stuart

Flying or Lying?

Veronika found Jolena looking sad.

"What's the matter," she asked.
"We were training in the gym for doing flips," Jolena told her. "We need to train for freestyle skiing all the time, you know, even when there is no snow."
"And?" asked Veronika.
"Shawn is a new kid. He has been bothering me. Today he said I was lying when I said I was flying." Jolena looked down at her hands. "I know he meant I did a bad thing, but I don't know what."

Veronika thought for a minute. "Tell me what you did and said," she suggested.
"Well," Jolena began, "when it was my turn to do a flip, I said I was flying. Then Shawn started making fun of me. He said I wasn't flying, I was lying. I don't understand, but it made me feel bad."

Veronika smiled. "I think I know what's going on," she said. "First of all, you weren't lying."
"I wasn't?" Jolena asked. 
"You were just saying how you felt," Veronika explained. "You didn't mean you were actually flying.”

"What is lying anyway?" Jolena asked.
"Well, let's say you took the last cookie on the plate and ate it," Veronika began.

"Then Mandy came along and said, 'Hey, who took the last cookie?’ You were afraid Mandy was going to be mad at you, so you said you didn't take it."

"Let's say that you said you saw Charlotte take it," Veronika said. "That's lying."

Jolena nodded. "That would be bad."
"Yes," Veronika agreed. "It would be a lie, because you said something that wasn't true, and you did it to protect yourself. It's a bad lie, because you hurt someone else at the same time."
"I wouldn't want to hurt Charlotte!" Jolena exclaimed.
"No, of course you wouldn't!" Veronika agreed. "But lying is saying something that isn't true. We should always tell the truth. Truth is very important. You would feel bad, because you knew you had done something that was wrong. And you hurt Charlotte with your lie, so that's even worse," Veronika went on. "And you would feel bad."
"Yes, I would," said Jolena. "That would be worse than having Mandy mad at me."
"And maybe Mandy would notice the crumbs on your face," Veronika suggested.

"And maybe I would have crumbs on my pants, too," Jolena agreed. "So Mandy would know. That would be worse than having Mandy mad at me for taking the cookie.”

"But pretending or using our imagination to explain how we feel isn't lying. And there are other things we can say that are not really true but are not really lies," Veronika said. "Let's say I ask you if my new dress looks good on me."

"Maybe you think pink isn't a good color for me, but you don't want to hurt my feelings, so you say I look beautiful in the dress," Veronika said. "That isn't exactly a lie, because I look beautiful to you, because you love me. It would be better, though, if you suggested another color might be better, and say it in a kind way, because it would help me, but it wasn't a bad lie.”

Jolena nodded. "I think I understand," she said. "When I said I was flying, I didn't really mean I was flying. I was just saying it felt like flying. But why did Shawn say I was lying, then?”
"I'm not sure," Veronika replied. "Tell me about Shawn."
Jolena explained that Shawn is new in class and isn't very good at the exercises yet.
"Jolena, you're very good at what you do," Veronika suggested, "so maybe he's jealous of you. Maybe he wants to be as good as you are, and it makes him feel bad that you are better than he is, so he's trying to make you feel bad, too."
"So what should I do?" asked Jolena.
"I think maybe if you encourage Shawn and point out his improvement as it happens, you'll find that he will start to feel better about himself," Veronika suggested. "However, you have no reason to feel bad about what you said, and he can't make you feel bad if you don't let him."

"That's what I'll do," Jolena said. "I'm lucky to have such a wise sister, only your example about the cookie doesn't really make any sense."
"Why not?" Veronika asked.
"Because dolls don't really like to eat cookies," Jolena replied. "We like to pretend to eat cookies. If I said I ate the cookie and said it to help myself and hurt someone else, then I would be lying!"

The dolls looked at each other and laughed. "Besides, you do look good in pink," Jolena added. "And that's the truth!"


Cast--

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Veronika: Götz Happy Kidz Vroni

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 and soon Classic Tales Retold: Stories from the Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 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 St. Jude. Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author for $20 including shipping. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

Image on Mariah's yellow T-shirt used with permission, from Free To Be Kids, where human-size shirts with this image are available.

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19832501/?claim=j3fj3mbb8kt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Copyright © 2018, 2023 by Peggy Stuart