Hi guys, summer hols have started and that means I get to meet lots of new people and make friends, but it is always a little scary the first week. My worry is will people like me or judge me for having short legs. I know many of you are off to new schools and I just wanted to share some of my thoughts on how to make it easier.
- I say hi to everyone, even the scary ones, and from how they respond I get an idea of what they are like. If they are not nice to me I realise it’s not about me, so leave them be until they come to me then I am happy to try again.
- I don’t tell people my secrets until I really get to know them. It can take weeks before I will sit next to or on someone’s lap.
- I never judge anyone on how they look or what they wear just on how they treat people. I also wouldn’t judge someone if they make one mistake. Often people get scared and make mistakes, but they aren’t bad.
- I never say nasty things about people (even though I think it and might tell my family). The man in the red van who brings our letters said nasty things about me, but I know he acted the way he did because he was scared. I was hurt because I was worried others would believe I was bad, but I didn’t say anything else to him. We have never been friends since and I look out for him because I don’t trust him, but the good thing is the new man in the red van has been really nice. I did make him jump the other day, but he stopped and stroked me and you know we could be friends in time.
- Staying friends is not always easy. I love the ladies and I get jealous if I think other lads are flirting with my girls. I think the ladies will prefer the others so I have had to warn the boys off and I got into a few scraps in the past. I’ve learnt that it isn’t worth fighting over a girl or being too competitive. We all have our own strengths and we just need to find what we are good at and believe in ourselves. It’s not always easy to do that when others want to put you in your place but you can do it. For instance, has anyone seen how brill I am at ratting or heard my singing voice? But I am not a runner compared to my roommate Bella, but then we are just built differently.
- Getting on with big people is really confusing because they all want different things. My family believes in expressing yourself and they all love mud, muck and fun. But I have met some people who don’t feel that way. I express myself verbally to everyone and I can tell by some big peoples’ faces they are cross, scared or dislike me for it. I show I like people by jumping up and it has been made clear to me that some people don’t like that either and not everyone wants a kiss or to share their food! What I have learned is that I should watch and listen to big people for a while before I treat them all the same then I could impress them all.
- I protect my friends and will stand up for them no matter how big the opposition. But I have learned that although you should be there for your friends, you should not cause a bigger problem by racing in and biting ankles before you know what has really happened. Always try to think of a smart way of dealing with it. Or just tell me and I will bite their ankles!
Remember, don’t stop and never give up. And you can always write to me if you have a problem.
