Teddy Takes the Slide

A Day at the Park

It was a sunny Saturday, and Mia took her best friend to the park. Her best friend was a soft brown teddy bear named Buttons. He had shiny black eyes and a little red bow.

Mia carried Buttons everywhere. To the swings — whee! To the sandbox — dig, dig! To the seesaw — up and down!

Buttons loved the park. He loved every part of it.

Well… almost every part.

The Big Tall Slide

In the middle of the park stood the big slide. It was tall and shiny and silver. It curled all the way down like a long, smooth river.

The big kids zoomed down it. Wheee! They laughed and ran around to do it again.

Mia held Buttons up so he could see. "Want to go down the slide, Buttons?"

But Buttons felt his tummy go wobbly. The slide was so high. The top looked so far away.

"It's too tall," Buttons said in a tiny voice. "I'm scared."

A Little Step at a Time

Mia gave Buttons a gentle hug. "It's okay to feel scared," she said. "I felt scared the first time too. But you don't have to do it all at once. Let's go one little step at a time."

So they walked over to the ladder.

"Step one," said Mia. "Let's just look up close."

They looked. The slide was big, but it was also smooth and friendly-looking.

"Step two," said Mia. "Let's touch it."

Buttons patted the cool silver slide with his soft paw. It wasn't scary to touch at all.

"Step three," said Mia. "Let's climb up — just a little."

To the Top

Up they went. One rung. Two rungs. Three rungs. Buttons held on tight to Mia.

Higher and higher they climbed. And then — they were at the top!

Buttons looked down. His tummy went wobbly again. "It's still a little scary," he whispered.

"That's okay," said Mia. "I'll go with you. We'll do it together. Ready?"

Buttons took a deep breath. He held Mia's hands. "Ready," he said.

Wheeeee!

Mia sat down at the top of the slide. She held Buttons safe in her lap.

"One… two… three… GO!"

Wheeeeee!

Down they zoomed! The wind whooshed past Buttons's furry ears. The slide curled and dipped. It tickled his tummy in a happy way.

And then — plop! — they landed softly at the bottom on the soft grass.

Again, Again!

Buttons blinked his shiny eyes. A big smile spread across his face.

"That was FUN!" he cried. "Can we do it again?"

Mia laughed. "I told you! You were brave, Buttons."

"I was scared," said Buttons. "But I tried it anyway. And now I love the slide!"

So up the ladder they went, again and again. Whee! Whee! Whee!

By the end of the day, the big tall slide was Buttons's favorite thing in the whole park.

And every time he felt scared of something new, he remembered: Just one little step at a time. You can be brave.

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The gentle lesson: Feeling scared of something new is normal. Take one small step at a time, and you might find something wonderful.

More stories to read: meet a small hero in The Brave Little Robot or a kind giant in The Friendly Dragon.