Hello,
My name is Jacqueline and I'm a very proud grandma.
I write stories for my grandchildren and I'm very happy to share them with you too.
So make yourself comfortable because my next story is about to begin.
Why am I scared?
Miss Spencer walked to the back of the class where two girls sat head to head,
Locked in their own conversation.
What are you two whispering about?
She asked Chloe and Ebony.
The two girls jumped apart and looked up at their teacher.
Oh,
Sorry Miss Spencer,
Ebony said apologetically,
But Chloe was telling me about how scared she was last night in bed.
Miss Spencer walked to the front of the class and said,
Chloe,
Can you stand up and tell the class what happened last night to make you scared?
Chloe didn't like being the centre of attention and standing up in the front of the class and speaking really scared her.
She looked at her friend Ebony who didn't seem to be scared of anything.
Go on,
Whispered Ebony,
Gently pushing her friend to stand up.
Just tell the class what you told me.
Chloe stood up and told the class what had happened.
I was having trouble getting to sleep last night,
So I crept downstairs to tell my mum.
The lounge door was slightly ajar and I peeked in and could see my mum and dad asleep on the sofa with a television on.
I didn't want to disturb them,
So I sat outside the door and watched the television.
At first I didn't realise it was a scary movie,
And I know I shouldn't have stayed and watched it as long as I did,
But I was intrigued.
My parents often told me I couldn't watch scary movies because they would give me nightmares,
But they were asleep,
So I carried on.
The movie seemed okay at first,
But then it got so scary I ran up to my bedroom,
Jumped into bed and hid under the covers.
She stopped for a moment,
Realising that her heart was now beating as fast as it had last night when she had been so scared.
Miss Spencer could see Chloe remembering the feeling and said,
Are you okay to continue,
Chloe?
Oh yes,
Miss Spencer,
Chloe whispered.
Chloe whispered.
She took a deep breath to calm herself and then continued.
As I was hiding under my covers,
I was sure someone came into my bedroom.
I guessed it must have been a monster like the ones I had seen in the scary movie,
But I was too scared to look.
I stayed under my covers and tried to hold my breath for as long as I could,
Thinking the monster would go away if I kept really,
Really still.
Chloe stopped talking and looked at all her classmates who had their eyes wide open as they sat on the edge of their chairs,
Waiting for her to finish her story.
Well,
I couldn't hold my breath for long,
She continued,
And as I tried to quietly breathe again,
I could sense the monster getting closer to my bed.
And then it pulled back my covers,
Which made me scream with fright.
The whole class gasped as their own thoughts began imagining what the monster must have looked like.
Was it a big hairy monster?
Asked Susie,
Who looked very worried for her friend.
Or a green alien monster with three heads?
Asked Daisy,
Equally as worried.
Well,
Chloe hesitated to say.
She looked around at all the worried faces before her.
Then she said,
Actually,
It was my mum,
Checking to see if I was okay.
But in the moment I was so scared,
And I truly believed it was a monster.
Phew,
Everyone said as they relaxed back into their chairs,
Relieved that there hadn't been a real life monster.
Thank goodness for that,
Said Susie.
I'm also afraid of the dark,
And I often think someone is hiding behind the curtain in my bedroom late at night.
Who else is afraid of the dark?
Asked Miss Spencer,
Sensing that the children needed to talk about this topic.
I am,
Said Ebony,
Much to Chloe's amazement,
And I don't like being alone in the dark either.
I totally understand how Chloe felt last night.
Me too,
Agreed Louise.
I'm really scared when I'm alone in the dark.
I hate night times.
I don't like the dark either,
Said Bradley.
Nor me,
Said Noah and Jess together.
What else frightens you?
Miss Spencer asked her class.
Snakes,
Replied April.
Tigers scare me,
Said Janelle.
Heights,
Said John Bob.
Getting off at the wrong bus stop,
Said Zaylee.
I'm scared of clowns and spiders,
Said Bella.
And I'm scared of so many things,
It's a wonder I make it to school in the morning,
Announced Daisy,
Which made the class giggle.
Okay,
Calm down everyone,
Said Miss Spencer.
It really is not funny when someone is afraid of something,
No matter what that something is.
Let's talk about this for a moment and see if we can understand why we become scared.
Most of the things we think we are scared of is not because of the thing itself,
But what we think about it.
The class became silent as they thought about this for a moment.
Let me explain this better,
Said Miss Spencer.
April,
Have you ever seen a snake in real life?
No,
Answered April.
But I've seen them on the television where they showed how a snake can open its mouth wide enough to swallow its prey,
And that's scary.
And Janelle,
Have you ever seen a tiger up close?
Asked Miss Spencer.
No,
Miss Spencer,
Replied Janelle.
But I've watched nature programs which shows they can run really fast to catch their prey and then rip it to pieces with their sharp claws and teeth.
Oh,
It gives me the shivers just thinking about it.
Miss Spencer turned to Bella and asked,
Has a spider ever hurt you,
Bella?
No,
It hasn't,
She replied.
But it's just that they are so fast and quiet and being black makes them scary looking.
And Zaylie,
Have you ever got off at the wrong bus stop?
Miss Spencer asked.
No,
Miss Spencer,
Zaylie answered.
But if I did,
I wouldn't know what to do.
And that scares me a lot.
Then Miss Spencer looked around at the whole class and asked,
All of you who are afraid of the dark,
Has terrible things ever happened to you when it's been dark?
No,
Miss Spencer,
Replied Chloe,
Ebony,
Susie,
Louise,
Bradley,
Noah,
Jess and Daisy together.
So from all of your replies to my questions,
None of you seem actually scared of the thing you say you are.
In reality,
You have all become scared by your thoughts about the thing or situation,
Explained Miss Spencer.
She waited a moment for her pupils to think about her words,
And then she continued.
When something bothers us,
Our imagination can create unnecessary thoughts until eventually we have made ourselves terrified of nothing.
The dark can't hurt us.
It's our thoughts about what could happen in the dark,
Which scares us.
Our imagination turns any tiny noise or movement into a monster,
And we grow that thought into something bigger the more we think about it.
As we think more and more about the monster,
The bigger the monster becomes in our mind,
And then we add to our worry by imagining the terrible things it could do to us.
That makes sense about the dark,
Miss Spencer.
But what about the creatures and animals we are scared of?
Asked Ebony.
Surely we are right to be scared of them because of the things television and books tell us about them.
That's a very good question,
Said Miss Spencer.
But think about this for a moment.
Are you really scared by what the creature has done to you?
Or are you scared by the thought of what the creature could do to you?
Miss Spencer looked around the room and could see her pupils all thinking about this question.
Most of the time it is the thought of what they could do to us which is scaring us,
She explained.
For example,
We know snakes can bite,
And some can even poison us.
But that is highly unlikely to happen as they would far rather slither away when they sense our presence,
Unless we trap them and they feel threatened.
So I'm really scared by the thought of what a snake is capable of doing rather than the actual snake,
Said April.
That's exactly right,
April,
Agreed Miss Spencer.
And all the things that I think I'm scared of is only because of what I imagine them to be,
Or could maybe do in the future,
Said Daisy,
Realising that really she had nothing to be scared of at all.
Like I thought I was scared of elevators,
But really I was scared of being trapped in the elevator if it broke down,
Not of going into it.
That's right,
Said Miss Spencer.
And when you think about that realistically,
Elevators very rarely break down,
And if they do,
Someone is there almost immediately to get you out.
It all makes sense now,
Said Ebony.
Yes,
Agreed the rest of the class happily.
Good,
I'm glad you all understand,
Said Miss Spencer.
So,
The next time you think you are scared of something,
Stop and say to yourself,
Is this thing making me scared or are my thoughts about what may happen making me scared?
There is no point wasting energy on being scared when it is your imagination and it isn't really happening.
We can only do something about the thing or situation which is making us scared in the moment.
Oh,
Like being in the dark,
Said Chloe.
When we feel scared,
We should just turn the light on and then we can see there is nothing to be scared of.
And if I see a spider,
Instead of being scared,
I can either call my dad to remove it or I can run away from it,
Exclaimed Bella.
The class laughed at this.
Yes,
I think you have all got the right idea now,
Said Miss Spencer,
Smiling.
Well done,
Everyone.
And Chloe,
Thank you for getting this much-needed conversation started.
Now,
I think it's time for break.
The bell is about to ring so you can all go outside a little earlier and enjoy the sunshine.
Thank you,
Miss Spencer,
The children shouted as they pushed back their chairs and raced out of the door.
Miss Spencer smiled as she watched them go,
All of them seemingly without a care in the world,
But at times scared of the unknown.
It's good to talk,
She thought to herself,
Especially when we feel unsure about something.
Now,
I think it's time for a nice cup of tea.
As she went to go out of her classroom,
A spider ran across the floor in front of her,
Making her jump.
It's OK,
She said to herself,
As her heart began racing.
He's probably more scared of me than I should ever be of him.
And with that thought in mind,
Miss Spencer made her way to the staff room,
Thankful for the much-needed lesson she had taught that morning.
Thanks for listening to my story.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Before you go,
I'd like to ask you a question.
What do you think you are scared of and why?
Thanks again for listening and come back soon to hear another story from Grandma.
Bye for now.
