I wrote this little story in October 2017, as my own way to help my kids (ages 7 & 6 at the time) adjust to a new normal that was about to begin in their lives. One of their cousins was moving, & this was my attempt to help my little guys see that change, even though different & sometimes intimidating, can bring good with it.
Once upon a time, there were 4 baby bears. There were 3 girl bears, and 1 boy bear. The oldest girl had beautiful Brown fur, and she loved to read. Her name was Ariel. The boy bear loved to be an adventurer. His name was Michelangelo. The middle girl bear had beautiful Brown fur, and she loved to discover how things work. Her name was Belle. The littlest bear had curly golden fur, and she loved to make friends. Her name was Rapunzel. They all four lived together, and they were the very best of friends. They loved to play together, and they saw each other all the time.
One day, Ariel Bear decided she loved the ocean, and she wanted to know more about it. She asked her friends to go with her to discover more about it. First, she asked Michelangelo Bear. He didn’t want to go. He said, the forest is the place for me. I want to adventure deeper in the woods than any bear has ever adventured before. Ariel Bear said okay, and she went to find Belle Bear. Belle Bear thought it sounded fun, but she said, the mountain is the place for me. Imagine all the things I could see! This made Ariel Bear a little sad, but she said okay anyway. Finally, she found Rapunzel Bear. Rapunzel Bear said, I’m sorry, no. The ocean is a place I do want to go. But my adventure is in a new place, see. The city is the place for me. Ariel Bear was sad as could be now. None of her friends wanted to do the same thing with her! They had always been together, so she didn’t want to do something without them. But, she also wanted to discover new and different things too. All the bears felt that same way.
When the bears felt like they had to choose, they were all very sad at the news. They loved all their own different things, but they loved being together too! What to do, what to do? If we go different ways, will we still be friends? They didn’t know what to think or say, so they decided to all go play. Ariel pretended she was singing in a concert, while Michelangelo pretended to be the drummer. Belle wanted to play guitar, and Rapunzel danced all over the floor. Suddenly, they had an idea! They were doing different things, but it was okay. Together, it made the best concert ever! Maybe everyone liking different things was good, and they didn’t have to choose. We can go do things we like, and we can still be best of friends!
So, Ariel Bear went to ocean to see what she could see. Michelangelo Bear went deep into the forest where new exciting adventures waited for him. Belle Bear climbed up the mountain, and she learned all kinds of new things to do and to be. Rapunzel Bear went to the city, and she made great new friends. In fact, she liked her city so much, she decided to stay. When the other friends told her their adventures, she was so excited for them. They were all excited for her new city adventure too. They still got to play, and they visited each other a whole lot.
In the end, the bears all decided that new adventures are great fun. They also learned that you will always have the bears you love, whether they are right next door or spread across the world. The moral of the story is that togetherness is good, but you never know what cool experiences life has if you never try new things!
Journey Into Freedom 