← Sleep Tight Stories - Bedtime Stories for Kids
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Hello friends, and welcome to Sleept Stories. Katie loves school and she loves to read. One day a new student arrives and things become less fun for Katie. Katie and the Spider Katie used to absolutely love school. Like love love it. Especially English class where she got to read actual books, which was basically her favorite thing in the whole world. Books let her go places she couldn't go yet. But ever since that meanie Kevin showed up, school has been, well, awful. He teased her constantly, made fun of her thick glasses and called her a bad name really loud so everyone could hear. And somehow, maybe because he was one of the cool kids, her friends started hanging out with him instead of her. Katie, with her crooked glasses that always slipped down her nose and socks that never stayed up no matter how hard she tried, just couldn't compete with someone like Kevin. After getting off the bus, Katie walked super slowly toward her house. She was old enough to be home alone until mom and dad got back from work, but today she really didn't want to be by herself. She trudged into her room and flopped face first onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She let out the biggest sigh ever. What's wrong, Katie? Said a tiny voice. Katie's head popped up. She looked around her room. Her parents definitely weren't home yet. She could tell because the house was still quiet. Over here on your plant, the voice called again. Katie loved plants and had this really pretty one sitting on the table next to her bed. Her mom had helped her pick it out at the garden centre and Katie watered it every single day. It's me, Fred. Katie looked closer and there, sitting on one of the biggest leaves, was a small black spider with white spots. She'd always liked spiders. They didn't bug her like they bugged most kids. Hi, Fred, katie said, not even feeling weird about talking to a spider. I didn't know you lived here too. I do, and I've been listening to you come home every day for weeks now. You used to hum sometimes or talk to yourself about books you were reading, but lately Fred's tiny voice got soft, softer. You seem really sad. What's wrong? Katie's shoulders slumped. It's school. Well, not really school exactly. It's this boy, Kevin. He's one of the popular kids and he's always being mean to me and stuff. Fred scuttled a little closer on the leaf, but kind of mean stuff. He calls me bad names all the time because of my glasses. And like yesterday I was trying to tell my friend Sarah about this book I was reading and Kevin just walked up and said, nobody cares about your boring books. And then Sarah just walked away with him. Katie's voice got wobbly. I don't get why everyone thinks he's so cool. Fred was quiet for a second, then said, you know what? I've dealt with bullies before. Really? Spider bullies. Oh yeah. There was this wasp named Buzz who used to fly around my first web, calling it pathetic and wonky. He'd bring his wasp friends and they'd laugh at how I caught flies. Fred's eight little legs moved as he talked. Made me feel terrible about myself. Katie sat up more. What did you do? Well, first I tried hiding. Built my web in corners where nobody would see it. But you know what? That just made me feel worse. I wasn't catching as many flies and I was always worried about when Buzz might show up. So then what? Fred walked in a tiny circle on the leaf. I realized something. Buzz was only mean to me when his friends were around. When it was just him, he actually seemed kind of. I don't know, lonely. Like maybe he was being mean to me so his friends would think he was tough. Katie pushed her glasses up on her nose. They immediately slipped back down. But that doesn't make it okay. No, totally not okay, fred said quickly. But it helped me understand that it wasn't really about me. You know, it was about him feeling insecure or whatever. So what did you do about it? I stopped trying to hide and I found my real friends. Turns out there were lots of spiders who thought my web was actually pretty good. And this one cricket named Chester. He became my best friend. He didn't care what Buzz thought. Katie was quiet for a minute. But what if Kevin keeps being mean? What if it gets worse? Fred scuttled closer to the edge of the leaf. Have you told any grown ups? Like your parents or a teacher? Not really. I mean, I told mom that some kids were being mean, but I didn't tell her how bad it was. I thought maybe it would just stop. Katie, fred said, and his tiny voice sounded really serious. If Kevin's making school awful for you, you shouldn't have to deal with that alone. Grown ups are supposed to help with stuff like this. That's not tattling. That's just getting help when you need it. But what if that makes Kevin even meaner? What if it doesn't? Fred paused. And even if it does for a bit, you won't be alone. That's the point. And here's the thing. You can't control what Kevin does. But you can control what you do about it. Katie nodded slowly. I just wish I was more like him. Popular and confident and stuff. Katie. Fred sounded shocked. Why would you want to be like someone who's mean to people? You're kind. You love books. You water my plant every day even though you didn't know I lived here. Those are way better things to be. Really. I know. So, said Fred. And you know what else? Real friends won't ditch you for someone who's mean. Maybe Sarah isn't as good a friend as you thought. And next time Kevin says something awful, you can say, I don't like that. Please stop. You don't have to shout. Just be clear. That's a brave thing to do. Katie sat there thinking. Fred was right. She couldn't keep feeling miserable every day, and maybe it was time to tell her parents what was really going on. Thanks, Fred, she said, gently touching the edge of the leaf where he sat. I think I'm going to talk to my mom when she gets home. Good plan, fred said, doing a little spider wave with one of his front legs. And Cady, don't let Kevin make you think there's something wrong with loving books. That's one of the coolest things about you. Katie smiled and looked at the little spider perched on her plant. She still didn't know how to make school better overnight, but now she had a plan, a brave sentence to try, and a tiny new friend who believed in her. And you know what? That actually felt pretty good. And that is the end of our story. Good night, sleep tight.