‘I’d Rather Just Be Me’

Lauren was cuddling her brown bear in the old rocking chair as she read her favorite book of rhymes to him. They were sharing a sticky bun.

“Lauren,” her mother called, “please wash your hands.”

Licking the creamy frosting from her fingers, Lauren said, “I hate to wash my hands. It takes too long.”

“What if you were an octopus?” asked Mother.

Lauren pictured herself with eight arms and remembered her rhyme book:

If I were an octopus,

I would surely sigh,

Each time I had to

Wash my hands,

I might even cry!

“Lauren,” her mother called, “please put your shoes on so we can go shopping.”

“I don’t like to tie my tangly shoelaces,” Lauren said.

“What if you were a centipede and had 100 feet?” asked Mother.

Lauren sighed, thinking of all those shoelaces.

She began chanting:

If I want to dress with speed,

I’d better not be a centipede,

For 100 shoes I’d need,

A hundred shoes I’d need!

It was raining when Lauren and her mother got back from shopping and they were dripping raindrops.

“Oh,” Mother exclaimed, “you’d better gargle so you don’t get a sore throat.”

“I hate gargling,” Lauren said, stomping.

“What if you were a giraffe?” Mother asked in a patient tone.

While Mother went to fix Lauren a warm water gargle with a dash of salt, Lauren made up a giraffe rhyme:

If I were a giraffe

And had to gargle with salt,

My keeper would need to pole-vault,

To hand the glass to me ...

Hee, Hee!

“I don’t think you’d like eight arms, 100 feet or a long neck,” Mother said, smiling.

I’m really glad I’m not a flea,

Nor do I want to be a bee,

For, as you can plainly see

I’d much rather just be me.

Lauren grinned as she hugged her mother.

Hear this story read aloud at www.latimes.com/kids or by calling (800) LATIMES, ext. 4KIDS ([800] 528-4637, ext. 45437).