Hello friends and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories.
The day has arrived for the school play and Bernice is super nervous.
She can't sleep even after trying her deep breathing exercises.
She goes to Papa and Mama's room to ask for help.
Papa gets her back into bed and she finally falls back to sleep.
When Bernice gets home from school she sits and tells Papa Bear all about her day and what happened at the play.
Bernice is super nervous.
Bernice opened her eyes and looked around her room.
It was dark, but not super dark, because her light kind of glowed like magic.
Papa told her it was like the good magic in the bedtime stories he told her.
It was quiet, except for the sound of Cookie purring.
She knew that Bernice had woken up.
Oh, and you could hear Papa Bear snoring a bit from down the hall.
Or it might have been Mama Bear.
But Mama says she never snores.
She just says she breathes heavily sometimes.
Hi, Cookie.
How did you know that I woke up?
Are you really that smart?
Or is it because you are my bestest friend? whispered Bernice.
Cookie purred louder and curled up closer to her.
I can't seem to stay asleep, Cookie.
I go to sleep and then I wake up.
Then I go back to sleep and I wake up again.
I think it's because I have my play today and I feel super nervous.
I don't know why.
It's just for the kids and Mama and Papa won't even be there.
I have memorized all my lines and stuff and I'm always super prepared Cookie, but I am still nervous.
Do you know why?
Cookie purred in reply.
I've tried to take deep breaths like Papa always says, but I can't seem to take my time.
I rush through it and I don't relax.
Maybe I should try it again.
What do you think?
Cookie made a short meow sound.
Bernice tried her breathing exercise again.
She took a deep breath in through her nose, filling her belly up with air, and then she slowly released the air through her mouth.
I did it again and took my time, but I still feel nervous, Cookie.
I think I better go ask Papa for help.
Bernice slid out of bed and slowly made her way to Mama and Papa Bear's bedroom, rubbing her eyes as she walked.
Nightlights guided her way, but she could walk to Mama and Papa's room with her eyes closed if she had to.
Papa!
Papa!
Bernice whispered after she walked up to their bed.
Papa Bear opened his eyes and whispered, What's wrong, little bear?
Why are you not asleep?
I don't know, Papa.
I think I feel nervous and stuff.
Okay.
I get nervous sometimes, too.
I'll walk you back to bed, and you can tell me all about what is making you feel the way you do.
Thank you, Papa.
After tucking Bernice under the covers in her bed, Papa Bear asked...
So what has you feeling out of sorts, like you have butterflies in your stomach?
Papa, I would never eat butterflies, nor would I want them in my stomach, Bernice said with a strange look on her face.
I know, little bear, it's just a figure of speech, Papa Bear said in a hushed tone.
Yeah, I'm just kidding.
Sometimes Bobby will say something like he has a T-Rex dancing in his tummy to mean the same thing.
One time he told the teacher that he has ants in his pants and that's why he couldn't sit in his chair.
The teacher didn't find it very funny, but I think some of us did.
So what has you feeling like dinosaurs are dancing inside your stomach, little bear?
Papa Bear asked.
Well, tomorrow is our play and I don't know why, but I feel really nervous.
I have memorized all my lines and I know what to do.
I practiced and practiced and it's just a play for the kids, not a big performance or anything.
And I feel confident that I will do well, but I still feel weird and that makes it hard for me to stay asleep, Bernice said with a sigh.
I know you have prepared, little bear.
I heard you practicing your lines and I was always told that when we practice and prepare really well, those feelings in our belly calm down a lot.
I think nervousness can actually be a sign that you care a lot. about what you're going to do.
It doesn't necessarily mean a lack of self-confidence.
Even confident people get nervous sometimes.
It shows that what you're doing is important to you, and that's a good thing.
With good preparation, you can turn that nervousness into excitement and do your best.
It's a chance to show others how much you care, Papa Bear said.
I do care, Papa.
It's a fun play, and Bobby is going to be in it too, and Gertrude and Ethan.
Even though I'm an old bear, I don't have all the answers, just lots of advice and experience.
But you should know that your mama and I support and love you no matter what.
And all your friends want you to succeed, too.
Everything will be okay.
Thank you, Papa.
I hope I don't make any mistakes, Bernice said quietly, yawning.
We all make mistakes.
Imagine if everything was perfect all the time.
It would be kind of boring, right?
Making mistakes means you're trying new things and being brave, Papa Bear said with a bigger yawn.
You sound like you might be tired, Papa.
I think you might be right, Papa Bear said with a laugh.
Are you ready to try and go back to sleep?
I think so.
Are you comfy?
Yes, Papa.
How about Twig, a Wolfie, and Madeline?
Are they ready to go back to sleep too?
They say they are ready, and Cookie wants to go back to sleep too.
Or maybe she wants to go eat.
She is her own cat.
Papa, can we have chocolate chip cookies tomorrow for our treat?
They are one of my favorites and I think it would be a fun treat after the play.
Bernice said with a big yawn
Yawning, Papa Bear replied, Sure thing, Little Bear.
Chocolate chip cookies and milk.
My yawns are infectious, Bernice whispered with a great big yawn.
They are, Papa Bear laughed.
Give me a hug and a kiss.
Love you, Papa.
I love you too, Little Bear.
Hi Papa, I'm home, yelled Bernice as she ran in the front door of their small house, closing the door super fast.
Papa, I smell chocolate chip cookies.
I think I could smell them all the way from school.
They just came out of the oven, Little Bear, and I think they might be super yummy, Papa Bear said in his really deep voice
Come quickly and have some before I eat them all up.
As Bernice sat down to take off her sneakers.
They weren't as stubborn as before, but the knots were always too tight.
Cookie came running around the corner to say hello.
Hi, Cookie.
You should have seen me in the play today.
I made some mistakes, but everyone said the play was good and I tried super, super hard.
My super strict teacher even congratulated me on my performance.
She smiled too, which is just about only the second time anyone has seen her smile, I think.
Maybe she is not as scary as I thought.
Cookie rubbed up against Bernice, purring loudly.
This was her way of saying she was proud of Bernice.
Anyway, Cookie Papa is just kidding about eating all the cookies, but I still have to rush to get some because I am super hungry today from all my hard work.
I hope we can chat later, or maybe we can play with your pet mouse.
Running into the kitchen, Bernice said excitedly The cookies smell super duper yummy, Papa.
They look nice too.
Thank you, little bear.
Wash your hands while i put our cookies on the table with some milk.
I can't wait to hear all about your day today, papa bear said with a great big smile.
Sitting down and after taking a great big drink of milk, bernice said it was a good day papa, and i am thirsty and Almost starving, I think.
So how was your performance?
Papa Bear asked.
Papa Bear had to wait a bit as Bernice took a few bites of her cookie.
The teachers said they were proud of us all, so that's pretty good.
My performance went really well, too.
I was super, super nervous, Papa, but I took some deep breaths, which helped a lot.
After I got started, it just felt like a lot of fun.
I think I made a couple of mistakes, but nobody noticed, and everyone clapped.
It was fun to do a play with our class.
It's wonderful to hear that you feel happy about the experience.
You can do anything you set your mind to, Papa Bear said with a big smile.
After taking a drink of tea, he said, so tell me more.
Sorry, Papa, my tummy keeps telling me to finish more cookies.
The play went so well, Papa, that Mrs. Lawson smiled at me again.
I think this might be only the second time that she has smiled and congratulated me.
She may be super tough, but I guess she is kind too.
Bobby during the performance, got a case of the giggles and then he just continued with a smile like nothing happened.
It was funny, and I think the audience thought it was just a part of the play.
Bobby is good at ad-libbing.
I think that's the word.
Afterwards, we all celebrated at lunchtime.
The kitchen prepared special desserts. and we could all have one for free.
I didn't eat mine, so I gave it to Gertrude, and I think one of the other kids gave theirs to Bobby.
Somehow, he had three.
The rest of the day was okay, I guess, but I ate my lunch so fast I can't even remember what it was.
Ethan brought extra, so he gave me half a sandwich because I was still a bit hungry.
It was a peanut butter and jam sandwich.
He said he only gets them on special occasions and stuff.
It was yummy because the peanut butter was crunchy.
That was nice of Ethan, Papa Bear said.
Yeah, I think so.
Then we had some classes in the afternoon.
But the teachers said they weren't going to cover any new material because they knew we would be super excited and stuff.
Mrs Lawson didn't even give us homework because she said we had worked hard to prepare for the play.
She really seemed more friendly today and not so super strict and scary.
She just wants the best for her students.
I talked to her recently. and I think she is not only a good teacher, but also a kind person.
You are lucky to be in her class.
While you finish your cookie, I am going to start dinner a little early.
Okay, Papa.
Thank you for the delicious cookies.
You are welcome, little bear.
It's that time, Papa, yawned Bernice.
And what time is that, little bear?
Papa Bear replied.
Time for sleep.
I am tired tonight, Papa.
I was so tired that Mama had to help me with my bedtime routine.
She said I was walking around like a zombie in those movies I am not allowed to watch.
Haha, that's pretty tired.
You had a big day and not as much sleep as usual, so it's good that you are going to bed early tonight.
Yeah, Bernice whispered with a yawn.
I'm happy you had a good day, little bear, and we are proud of how brave you are.
Thank you, Papa.
Are you comfy and warm?
Yes.
How about Twiggle, Wolfie, and Madeline?
Are they comfy and warm, too?
They are.
Bernice whispered.
Cookie looks ready to sleep too, Papa Bear said.
Love you, Papa.
Love you too, little bear.
Papa Bear gave Bernice a big hug and a kiss, and before he could even finish tucking her in tight, she was fast asleep.
Sweet dreams, Bernice.
And that is the end of our story.
Good night.
Sleep tight.
