Once upon a time, in a faraway land lived a young girl named Meera. Meera lived with her mother and father in a tiny village and she had two best friends - Sonal and Priya.
The three of them went to the same school. They also lived in the same area. After school they would play with each other . Sometimes, if it as too hot or too cold or if it was raining, they would all gather at Meera’s place.
Meera loved to read. She also painted. She was a delightful child. She used to study well and also was very good at skating.
One day, a new family moved into the empty house near Meera’s house. This new family had lived in another country and were returning back to their country. There was a girl at about the same age as Meera in this family and her name was Ankita.
Ankita had lived all her life in another country. Her clothes were different and she spoke in a different accent. Meera was very drawn to Ankita. She found her very “fancy”.
Meera invited Ankita to join the others during their evening playing time.
Soon, Ankita started talking ill about Sonal and Priya to Meera and tried to make Meera like herself. This was the first time that Meera ever had another friend and that too someone from a different place. She got carried away easily and slowly started fighting and being rude to Sonal and Priya. Sonal and Priya felt very bad and stopped hanging out with Meera and Ankita.
This went on for a few months. Ankita had the latest gadgets and a whole new video game set for herself. Meera and Ankita would keep playing indoor and because video games are addictive, Meera reduced her study time too. Her parents noticed this and tried to intervene, but it didn’t work.
A few months later, another new girl joined their school. Ankita started being friendly with her. Soon, Meera realised that Ankita wanted to be friends only with the new girl and did not want to play with Meera. She started being rude to her and started snubbing her.
Meera was very upset with all these developments. One evening, Meera was sitting alone on the table with a sad face. Her mother had returned from work and noticed this. Meera’s mom asked her what was the matter. Meera explained how Ankita didn’t want to be her friend and wanted to play only with the new girl. Meera’s mom sat her down and explained to Meera,” Didn’t you do something similar to Sonal and Priya. They were your best friends and you stopped being friends with them in order to be Ankita’s friend. It is ok to have more and more new friends, but you must not stop being friends with your old friends just to be friends with new people.”
The next evening, Meera went to Sonal and Priya and apologised to them for her behaviour. They went back to being friends once again. They remained the best of friends for life. Meera, Sonal and Priya got jobs in different cities and they moved away from their sleepy little village, but they stayed in touch. They ensured that they met each other regularly and supported each other through the good and bad phases of life.
Moral of the story:
This is a relatable everyday friendship. It teaches us that just because someone is new and we like them and want to be friends with them, we should not give up on our old friends.
Discussion Points:
If you are a parent reading this story to you child, you may ask her/ him if they have encountered such a situation in their school or play area . You also discuss as to how they dealt with it
We belived short stories for kids is a great opportunity that parents have to discuss and build conversations with kids. Conversations between adults and kids is the best way for kids to develop. Please do check out our other conversation aiding tools - concept posters, flashcards and maps
