Wouldn’t you know, the half tailed lizard McKenna named Hammy sunning himself on the deck.  She caught him and kept him for another day and a half.  Then it was time to let him go again.  She was getting attached to this little lizard, this time she really did not want to let him go!

The next day, McKenna went to the deck to find Hammy…. there he was, sitting in the tub she had kept him in!  Yep, that silly lizard crawled back into the tub (the lid was off).  Seems Hammy the lizard was fond of McKenna as well!

Not all children (or adults) are so fond of crawly things.  The little boys in the neighborhood are not as brave and it can be uncomfortable to have a girl that holds the bugs and animals for them.

This sweet story by Charlotte Kamman is a great way to help your child know it is OK to have a little fear of bugs… not all bugs should be held or played with.

Tappy and the Beetles
by Charlotte Kamman

“Tappy, Jake!!” Mom stood on the porch and called.

Finally the so long awaited trip was about to begin. Tappy had barely been able to sleep the night before. The event was going to be really great. He would be together with the family of his uncle and they were all going to spend a few days at a lake in the Mountains.

Tappy and his cousin Jake heard her voice in the distance. They were playing on the shore of the big lake, skipping stones on the water.

They heard a call, and stopped to listen closely. When they heard it was Tappy’s Mom, they started running, as both were thinking the same thing, ‘She might have an ice cream for them!’

Once they took the turn, in front of the cabin, they saw that it was not as they had imagined. Although disapointed, what Mom held in her hands spiked their curiosity. “Look what I found!” Mom said, as she held up a green long bag.

“What is it, Mom?” Tappy asked, not knowing what to expect.

“It’s a tent!” Jake shouted. “A tent! WOW! Can we go camping? Oh please, please?”” Tappy’s Mom smiled at them. “Yes, you can, that is what I was going to ask you. Do you want to camp in the garden tonight?“”

Jake couldn’t stop jumping up and down, and Tappy was all excited too. This was better than ice cream. Wow, camping, that would be really fun!

After the tent was set up with a little bit of help from Tappy’s Dad and Uncle, they went off to the lake again to go swimming. There was still a lot of time before the night, and they decided to spend this time doing what they loved most; swimming.

Later on that afternoon, Tappy and Jake laid in front of their little tent as they were drying up in the sun. Suddenly, Jake jumped up and caught something in his hands. He put it in an empty jar he had brought, and he came jolting back to Tappy to show what he had: A beautiful coloured, huge shiny beetle. Tappy tried not to scream, he bit his lip and said in a small voice: “Eh, Nice”.

Jake looked at him. He asked “You’re not afraid, are you?” “Nah.” Tappy mumbled, as he carefully got up and started backing away. Jake noticed it and put the beetle very close to Tappy’s face.

Tappy jumped back and while running towards the house, he called over his shoulder. “I just have to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back!”!”

As Tappy sat quietly in a corner near the toilet, he sighed. Jake had done it again, and he had been a wimpy bear again…

He tasted salty tears on his upper lip. He was not going to cry, not now. Jake was probably coming to find

Tappy and Beetles

him, together with the beetle… He shouldn’t think of Jake galloping up to him now, with some giant bug in his hands. He was shivering at the thought of it. He thought of the giant bugs Jake was surely now catching to tease him…

Suddenly a different thought came to his mind. How could it be that he, Tappy, was so scared of beetles, while Jake adored them?

Tappy thought of the song Mom would sing for him when he was afraid of something. It went like this:

Tap along with Tappy
Tap your troubles away
Tap along with Tappy
Tap in the good today…

Tap Tap Tap Tap, Tap Tap Tap….

As he was humming the Tappy song, he started to feel a bit better. He got up on his feet, and while he tapped his tapping buttons, he invented a little dance.

He envisioned the Bugs, and tried to remember what about them made him feel so scared. So, he began his tapping routine.

“Even though I am scared of Jakes bug, I am a good Tappy.”
“Even though I am not sure about bugs, they scare me, I am a good Tappy.!”
“Even though I am a scared, I am a good Tappy.“

And, he began Tapping repeating:

“This fear of Bugs,.. This fear of Bugs,..“

When he was finished, he saw the bugs a little differently, not as scarey anymore. So he kept on humming his song.

Tap along with Tappy
Tap in the good today.

He was actually having real fun as Jake arrived; surely with a jar with a bug in it.

Tappy looked at the jar, and saw that Jake had caught another beetle. But now he was not terribly scared! Not at all! He actually took time to see how pretty the beetle was!

He asked Jake if he could hold the jar for a bit. Jake looked puzzled, but gave him the jar. Tappy looked at the beetle, and said:

“He is beautiful, Jake! Shall we go out and catch some more beetles together?“

Jake thumped Tappy on his arm with a big smile on his face, because in the end, playing with Tappy is much more fun than teasing him!

So, they ran out and started catching lightning bugs to have some light in the tent that night.

What a fun night this would be.

Click here if you would like to print the coloring page and story.

Feel free to visit Tappy Bear to find out more interesting stories and helpful tips for parenting with ease, for Parenting Can Be Easier!