Page 9 - Story Summaries

Story Summaries Book 2b
Discovering the Woolly Whiners: (Whining/Manipulation) Some problem behaviors may seem “natural” in many children. Unfortunately, as adults we may be encouraging, rather than limiting these behaviors. These are behaviors that if continued will cause many life problems. From the title, you can guess that the story is about whining. Whining behavior is the result of thinking that life should always turn out the way you want and expect.
The Story of Tooshy and Hushup: (Demandingness/Anxiety) There are qualities that make it difficult for children to be successful in school and possibly in life. We attribute them to their “personality” but we can teach them that even “innate qualities” can be modified. We frequently label children with certain behavioral habits as having a certain personality. It may be more relevant to consider that what we label as personality is really the sum total of the child's "cognitive coping repertory”.
The Man Who Plowed the Desert: (Wasting Time/Self-Discipline) There are so many distractions in our society that it is almost impossible to focus on what is truly important. Therefore, there is an epidemic of “wasting time” the one “commodity” that can never be recovered. One of the almost universal irrational beliefs of children is, "Things should always come easily to me.” The fallacy of this belief is obvious and folk wisdom has produced a counter more rational belief, "Nothing worthwhile comes easily”.
Animals at Atlantis: (Social Skills/Consequences) There are certain “qualities” that have a profound impact of our success and happiness. This story is about those qualities and how they made humans “rulers of the world”. This story is designed to illustrate that the only thing that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom is our willingness to learn the skills necessary to succeed in the future such as Politeness, Cooperation, Cleanliness, Language/Grammar, and a love of Learning.
Cando Cranes: (Self-Control/Bravery) Taking the “easy way out” is what most people want to do when confronted with a problem situation. Unfortunately, in many situations this is the wrong choice and learning to do what is “right” rather than “easy” is an important skill. We often limit ourselves by insisting on taking the easy, safe way when dealing with any situation. Life however, is full of threats as well as opportunities. Often, they come in the same "package.”