Once upon a time there was a little bear called Bob.

 

He lived in a warm forest with his big family.

 

Every night, just before bed, he wanted to play rough and tumble with his Dad.

 

But every time, his Mum would say, “Calm Down, Bob!”

 

One warm evening, he took his Mum some pillows.

 

“Will you have a pillow fight with me?”

 

“Calm Down, Bob,” said his Mum.

 

He tried and he tried, but he felt as thought he had ants in his pants and couldn’t go to sleep.

 

The next evening, after going to the dentist that day, he went to his Dad and said, “Will you play dentists with me?  I’ll be the dentist and you pretend to be me.”

 

“Calm Down, Bob, before bed,” said his Dad.

 

Bob tried to calm down.  His Mum gave him a bath, but he felt as though he had extra ants in his pants.

 

The next day, Billy Bear chased him.

 

Before bed, he said, “Mummy, will you let me chase you and you pretend to be scared and I’ll catch you?”

 

“Calm Down, Bob, before bed.”

 

She read him a book.  But the words wriggled in his ears and he had even more ants in his pants.

 

The next day, when they were playing, Barbara Bear called him, “silly”.

 

Before bed, he said, “Will you laugh with me while I call you ‘silly’?”

 

“Calm Down, Bob, before bed.”

 

But Bob’s feeling of ants in his pants got so strong that he ran around anyway.  He just needed to let the antsy feeling out.

 

Mum and Dad saw how fun it looked, and joined in.

 

First, Bob chased them, laughing, and he kept catching them.  He laughed and laughed.  They all laughed.

 

Then they had a pillow fight.  He kept knocking them over.  They pretended to fall over big time!

 

He laughed and laughed.  They all laughed.

 

Then he said, “Open your mouth, I’m the dentist.”  And they did, and they pretended to fall over again, and he laughed and laughed.  They all laughed.

 

And then they had lots of fun playing rough and tumble on the bed.

 

Bob had not laughed so much in ages.

 

Nor had his Mum and Dad!

 

Suddenly he began to call them ‘silly’ and cried in their arms.  Big, sad sobs.  He cried and cried, and they listened, and loved him.

 

And when all his tears had come out, he lay in their arms and told them how sad he was when he was called ‘silly’.

 

And then he fell into the calmest sleep he had ever had.

 

And after that, every night, his Mum and Dad never again said, “Calm Down, Bob, before bed.”

 

Instead, they said, “Let’s play and laugh before bed.”

 

And they slept more peacefully too.