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First, she meets the Rabbit, who tells her that if she changes the garden he will have nothing to eat and might have to move. He whines that he is just too small and weak and she must not do anything to cause him possible harm.
With this character the Young Girl’s Stinky Thinking belief is, “If I do anything to cause him to be unhappy, then I am a bad person. If he is unhappy, it is my fault and I must fix it. He is not responsible for his problems and I must fix them for him.” In the story, the Rabbit’s peer pressure is obvious. In real life this peer pressure is seen when people say something like, “But I will get in trouble if you don’t let me copy your homework.”
The second character introduced to the Young Girl in her garden is the Owl. He represents the “Wise” Stinky Thinking. That is, when someone tries to make you think that you should do what they want because they are smarter than you. Even though you may know that what they want you to do is wrong, you may tell yourself, “I am not smart enough to figure this out. I must do as they say because they know what is best.”
If you have this type of thinking, any failure you have is not seen as a temporary setback or learning experience but as proof of your inability to do things right. This will make you less willing to try again. “There is no use in me trying, as I’ll just fail again and I can’t stand that happening.” Examples can be seen in the student who despite obvious ability or talent, refuses to participate in an activity or try out for a team for fear of failing.
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