The Tappy Way to Happy Kids

Josh just got out all her Lego, the floor of her room was covered with little plastic blocks of all colours. Josh was really happy and proud, that all these blocks were her’s! She decided to build a BIG castle today, and she started to hum a happy song. She sat on the floor in the middle of her room, and started to click the little blocks together. She loved that sound, a soft “click” when they were firmly attached. She carefully chose the colours and the sizes, and the happy song grew happier and happier.

Suddenly, she heard a loud cracking noise.
She panicked, and she yelled on the top of his voice “MOMMY!”
But no one answered.
“MOOOOOMMMMM” she screamed, even louder.
Silence.

Josh couldn’t think any more. She got up, fled from her room, left the door open, ran through the corridor and started crying. Where was her mother?

She ran from room to room,
she checked whether the white pick up truck was standing on the porch,
she ran to the garden,
she ran to the vegetable patch,
she ran to the paddock with the sheep and the little lambs,
but Mom was no where to be found.

Josh by now was really really scared.

She ran back to the house, and grabbed the telephone to call Granny. Then she remembered, that she did not know Granny’s telephone number by heart: Normally Mom would dial for her if she wanted to talk to Granny and Grandpa.

She sat down on the floor and cried, with high pitched yelps and big sobs.

Then her eye fell on something on the settee. It was a brown coloured fluffy thing. Could it be that that was her friend Tappy Bear?
Josh got up, and walked to the settee. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks.
She picked up Tappy, and pressed him to her chest.
“Tappy, can you help me? I lost Mom, and I am soooo afraid that she just went away and left me alone!”

It seemed as if Tappy was looking at her with understanding eyes.
Josh remembered what Mom always said, when she used Tappy’s squeaky voice.
“Why don’t we tap on the bad feelings first?”
Josh didn’t feel like tapping, she felt like crying and hiding herself in a corner, but she took Tappy to her favourite black, cuddly, soft chair next to the window.

She tapped on the top of Tappy’s head, first slowly and softly, but then faster and with more energy.
“I feel so alone, I am scared, Mom left me alone, I don’t know where she is, I feel so scared…”
And after two rounds of tapping on her little soft cuddly friend, her tears started to dry up, and she felt a bit calmer. She suddenly realised, that she had not looked behind the house, and that Mom had said that she would paint the walls today.

She got up, holding Tappy tightly, and walked out the front door.
When she got round the corner, she saw Mom. She looked very strange: She had a big red handkerchief on her head, and her face was covered with little white spots. Josh ran up to her and gave her a big hug around her waist. Mom said:”Hi little darling, have you been playing with your Lego?”

Josh looked at her with her beautiful green eyes and said:
“Mom, I had lost you. I was so scared! I cried, and I yelled, but you did not hear me! But then, I found Peter, he was on the settee, and he helped me to find you. Peter is my best friend.”

Mom hugged Josh, and said:
“You’re becoming such a big girl! Not so long ago, you would have been unhappy for a whole day if something like this happened, and now you are smiling already! I am so proud of you, and I am so proud of Tappy, that he helped you! Come on, I’m in for a little break, let’s have some tea on the terrace.” And there they went, and they had a great afternoon together.