Queen Neena's Apology Adventure
by
Patches the Story Dog
A story about How to Say Sorry
for your Preschooler
Queen Neena lived in a little kingdom on soft, green hills. The air smelled like warm cookies and fresh rain. Candy-colored cottages sat here and there. A sparkly pond hummed gentle tunes. Queen Neena loved to explore every bit of it!
Every morning, Queen Neena walked through her castle garden. The flowers could talk! The butterflies could giggle! Her favorite was a big, bright sunflower with a warm, wise smile. "Good morning, Queen Neena!" the sunflower said. "What will you find today?"
Queen Neena skipped past the sparkly pond that hummed gentle tunes. She looked down. Every puddle shimmered like a tiny mirror! Then — ooh! She saw something on the ground. A rock! But not just any rock. It was sparkly and smooth and beautiful. "I have to show Bunny!" she said.
Queen Neena ran fast, fast, fast! Her feet went pat-pat-pat on the garden path. Her friend Bunny was by the pond, building a tall, tall tower out of bright, colorful blocks. Red, blue, yellow, green — all the way up! Bunny smiled proudly at his tower.
"Bunny, look! LOOK!" Queen Neena ran right up to him. But — oh no! CRASH! Her arm bumped the tall, tall tower of bright, colorful blocks. Red, blue, yellow, green blocks tumbled everywhere! The tower was gone. Bunny's eyes went wide. His ears drooped down.
"But I didn't mean to!" Queen Neena said quickly. She held up her sparkly rock. "Look what I found! Let's keep playing!" But Bunny did not smile. Bunny sat very still. He looked at his blocks on the ground. Queen Neena's tummy felt funny. Something was not right.
The big, bright sunflower with the warm, wise smile leaned over the garden wall. "Queen Neena," the sunflower said gently. "Saying 'I didn't mean to' is a start. But sorry means more than just words." "More?" asked Neena. "What do I do?" The sunflower nodded slowly. "Three things, little queen."
"First, say what you did," said the sunflower. "Then, say how your friend might feel. And last — ask how you can help fix it." Queen Neena counted on her fingers. Say what I did. Say how they feel. Ask how to fix it. That sounded like a lot! Her heart beat fast. Saying sorry felt scary.
Queen Neena took a big, brave breath in. Whooosh. She walked over to Bunny. She looked right into his eyes. "Bunny, I knocked down your tower," she said. "That must feel sad. I am sorry." She paused. "Can I help you build it again?" Her voice was small. But her words were big and true.
Bunny's ears perked up. A little smile grew on his face. "Yes, please," Bunny said softly. "Let's build it together this time!" So they did. They stacked the bright, colorful blocks up, up, up. Red, blue, yellow, green — even higher than before! This tower was bigger. Wobblier. Sillier!
The tower leaned left. It leaned right. It wiggled and wobbled and — CRASH! Down it went again! But this time, they both laughed! "We knocked it down together!" Bunny giggled. "On purpose!" Queen Neena giggled too. Laughing together felt so good. Her heart felt light and happy.
That night, Queen Neena sat by her window. The sparkly pond hummed a soft tune. Saying sorry had felt scary at first. But after — oh, after — her heart felt so much lighter. She held her sparkly rock up to the moonlight. "I wonder," she whispered, "what other brave things I might try tomorrow."
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