Don't Be Like George: A Children's Tale About Asking For Help

Don't Be Like George

George is a baby giraffe that is towering over six feet tall, has big brown spots covering his entire body to match his eyes, and doesn’t know how to fully walk yet without falling over.

His neck can stretch very high up but not high enough to reach the larger trees. He ate all the leaves off the bushes and small trees for a while until there was no more left.

George would just stare up at the trees and wait for them to fall down to eat them in midair. Even though he needed help, he wanted to be independent and wanted to do it all by himself. His mother would even try to convince him that the leaves were better fresh from the tree.

Even though she was right, he never asked for help. He felt weak and defeated saying “Can you please help me?” So, he just continued to catch those fallen leaves in his big wide mouth.

When he would go to the watering hole with his mother, he would lower his neck to drink, but he couldn’t reach the water. He didn’t know that is not how a giraffe would drink. If he would only say those few magic words, then he would get the help he so well deserved. He just wanted to figure it out all by himself.

“Honey dear, are you sure you don’t want my help?” the mother giraffe asked.

“Of course, I know what I’m doing.” he said insulted as he tried to mimic his mother’s stance but couldn’t quite do it.

One day, George would have to learn to ask for help because one day he might really need it. Its okay to ask for help, even the toughest and wisest giraffes do. It doesn’t make you weaker or seem dumb because asking for help can make things easier.

However, George would rather struggle and struggle by doing it by himself rather than simply asking his mom or friends for help. He was too proud and stubborn to do that.

Until one day, when he was walking at night with his friend Elliot, a baby elephant, in the plains of Africa. They were lost and afraid that they would never see their families again.

They could hear the scary sounds at night and just froze in fright not making a sound. Elliot finally broke the silence and started calling for his mom.

He raised up his trunk and let out a loud trumpeting, “Mama, help!!”

George saw his friend asking for help, so they just sat tight until she came, but his mom wasn’t in earshot unlike his mom. However, he knew it’s what felt right. George’s mom wasn’t the only one who heard his trumpet call. A hungry pack of hyenas did though.

They came closer and closer and George was the first to see them before they got too close. He finally learned how to ask for help.

George bellowed his flute sound call asking for help after all, “Mom, help!”

His mom heard her baby’s cries because he wasn’t that much far away. She came rushing in and scared away the hyenas by swinging her neck and stomping her hooves at them.

“George, I’m so happy you finally asked for my help.” his mother said as she hugged him with her neck. He realized asking for help was a good thing and asked more often.

After that, he learned how to walk, got handed leaves from his mom from the higher trees and learned that he had to bend his knees to get a drink all because he asked for help.

Written with <3 by @hopehuggs

Pictures from pixabay.com