James and the Sorry Turtle
by
Thomas
A story about How to Say Sorry
for your 3rd Grader.
In a small, peaceful town, there lived a curious boy named James. James had a fascination for turtles and loved to spend his time near the pond, watching them.
One sunny day, James noticed a shiny object on his mother's dresser. It was her special bracelet, the one she wore on very special occasions. James, being the curious boy that he was, decided to take it without asking.
He took the bracelet to the pond, where he loved to play. As he was playing, he accidentally dropped the bracelet into the pond. He searched and searched, but he couldn't find it.
Panicking, James decided to blame it on a turtle. He ran home and told his mother, 'A turtle took your bracelet, mom! I saw it with my own eyes.'
His mother was upset but decided to investigate. She went to the pond with James and they looked for the turtle James had blamed. But they couldn't find any turtle with a shiny bracelet.
James felt guilty. He knew he had lied and it was wrong. He decided to tell his mother the truth. 'I'm sorry, mom. I took your bracelet and lost it in the pond. I didn't mean to blame the turtle.'
His mother was disappointed but appreciated his honesty. 'James, it's important to ask permission before taking something that doesn't belong to you. And when you make a mistake, you should take responsibility for it and not to blame it on others.'
James felt bad for the turtle he had blamed. He decided to make amends. He spent the next few days cleaning the pond and making it a better home for the turtles.