The sun shone through the window on the day that Sally was going on a plane with her Mummy and Daddy.

 

She was excited, and a bit scared too.

 

She had never been on a plane before.

 

She was going to visit Granny and Granddad, a long way away.

 

She had her new little case, shaped like a bear, that she pulled along on wheels.  Inside were her doll and a new colouring book and pencils.

 

At last, they got on the plane.

 

It was really big.  There were lots of people in it.  It made a really loud noise.

 

Then it took off.

 

Sally felt scared.  Her ears felt funny.  She couldn’t move because she had her seat belt on.

 

She started to cry.

 

Mummy was on one side of her, and Daddy was on the other side.

 

As she cried, Mummy tried to quieten her with snacks.

 

They were yummy snacks, but the tears kept coming.

 

Daddy showed her some things about the plane.

 

She kind of liked it, but the tears kept coming.

 

Mummy and Daddy stopped trying to stop her crying and listened instead.

 

“Are you feeling scared?” said Mummy.

 

“Yes,” said Sally, in a quiet voice.

 

Mummy knew how she felt.

 

She cried a big stronger, and she felt a bit relieved.

 

“Do your ears feel funny?” asked Daddy.

 

“Yes,” she replied, looking up at daddy.

 

She cried a bit more.  Daddy understood her.

 

“And you just want us to listen to you?” asked Mummy.

 

“Yes,” she said again, looking into Mummy’s eyes.

 

Mummy and Daddy held her hands, one on each side.  As she cried more, she felt all the sadness and scariness go.  And then all the tears had finished.

 

Daddy dried her face.  She smiled at him.

 

“Daddy, I feel so calm now.”

 

Daddy smiled back.

 

Sally, Daddy and Mummy enjoyed the rest of the flight.  Sally was excited to see Granny and Granddad.

 

And they all remembered, on the way back, that listening to Sally’s tears helped her feel calm and happy again.