Returning my Friends to Peace – Senior Kindergarten in the Playground
Note from parent: I’d like to submit this story for my daughter Annabella Garcia-Monahan, aged 7. She recited the story and I did my best to write it down using her words. I explained the word ‘peace’ to her when she was young and she never seemed to have trouble grasping the meaning and significance. She’s delighted that her story might be read by others or otherwise used by this project.
Last year, I was at school with my two best friends: Lulu and Jasmine. My friend Jasmine had an idea for a game she wanted to play, but my friend Lulu said “no” (I think because she didn’t know how to play that game). So, Jasmine started to get really frustrated and kept repeating over and over that all she wanted to do was play that game, but Lulu really, really didn’t want to play. Jasmine got so angry that when Lulu said “no!” again, she reached out and hit her as hard as she could on the arm! For a moment, nobody moved and everyone just looked really surprised, but then Lulu yelled and yelled as loud as she could. She’s never yelled like that before and she was so angry. She yelled so loud “I TOLD YOU I DON’T WANT TO PLAY THAT GAME, AND I DON’T WANT TO PLAY WITH YOU….and DON’T HIT!!! Then both Jasmine and Lulu ran away in opposite directions crying.
These friends were now fighting and hitting and I didn’t like it at all. They’ve been friends since they were 1 years old! So, I went to find Jasmine, and I waited for her to stop crying and then I told her to meet me at the sandbox in the playground (where we make tunnels). Then I went to find Lulu and told her to meet me at the sandbox in the playground too. Both Lulu and Jasmine showed up at the sandbox a few minutes later.
I brought them both close together and said “Jasmine, you shouldn’t hit Lulu...and Lulu, you shouldn’t yell at Jasmine”. Afterwards I said “So when I count to three, say sorry to each other”. Then I counted to three really slowly, and then they both actually did say sorry to each other!!! ...and then, best of all, they hugged each other!!! (And I didn’t even have to ask them to do that part!!!). Then the bell rang.
Annabella Garcia-Monahan (now 7 years old) as told to her mother, Katherine Monahan