Bedtime Story for 4-Year-Old About Loneliness | Fabled
The playground had two swings. She always used the one on the left. Her best friend always used the one on the right.
But today the right swing hung empty. Her friend had gone to visit grandma far away. For a whole week.
She sat on her swing and pushed her feet against the ground. Back and forth. Back and forth. The chains made their squeaky sound, but nobody laughed beside her. Nobody said "Let's see who can go higher!"
Her tummy felt heavy. Like she'd swallowed a small gray cloud.
A ladybug landed on her knee. It was red with black spots, and it walked in tiny circles like it was looking for something too.
"Are you lonely?" she whispered.
The ladybug crawled to the edge of her knee. Then it flew away.
She watched it go toward the sandbox. A boy sat there alone, pushing sand into a pile. He looked up at the ladybug, then at her.
He had curly hair and a blue shovel.
"Hi," he said. Quiet.
"Hi." She walked over slowly. "What are you building?"
"A mountain. For ants." He patted the top flat. "But it keeps falling."
She crouched down. The sand felt warm and soft. "Maybe it needs more water?"
He looked at his pile. Then at her. "Want to help?"
She nodded.
They found the water fountain and filled his bucket three times. The wet sand stuck together better. Their mountain grew tall, with little paths winding up the sides.
"There," he said. "Now the ants can climb."
She smiled. The gray cloud in her tummy had gotten smaller somehow.
Her friend would come back next week. She still missed her, and that was okay. Missing someone meant you loved them.
But right now, the sun was warm. The sand was soft. And the boy with the blue shovel was showing her how to make tiny ant stairs.
Tomorrow she'd come back to the playground. Maybe she'd swing on the left swing again. Maybe she'd build another mountain.
Maybe both.
Lesson of the story: When we feel lonely, opening our hearts to someone new can help the heavy feeling grow lighter.
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