It was an exciting day at the Little Cubs Daycare. The big cubs from the kindergarten were coming to the daycare to put on a show for the toddlers! They would be here any minute, and Zee-Zee was anxiously scampering around the playroom, trying to decide what he should be doing when the kindergarteners walked in. First impressions are very important, and Zee-Zee really wanted them to immediately say "That squirrel over there isn't a baby like those others. He's a big boy and he's nearly ready to go to kindergarten too, because he's really clever and grown up for his age!"
"What's a clever thing to play with?" Zee-Zee pondered as he paced around. "Ooh! Alphabet blocks! And number blocks and colour flashcards! And that book about how cows go moo and sheep go baa! I can be sitting here and showing all the things I know when they come in!" He gathered a big pile of educational toys near the entrance and bounced with excitement, rehearsing in his mind all the clever things he'd do when the big cubs arrived.
"Zee-Zee, go to the potty," said Raikan as he bustled past with a pile of assorted toys in his arms. He was very busy too, clearing a floor space for the kindergarten visit, but he recognised the little dance Zee-Zee did when he really had to go but was too busy with his latest big-squirrel adventure.
"Uh-huh, okay Unky Rai, I'll go potty when I'm done here," Zee-Zee chattered impatiently as he arranged his blocks and tried (without much success) to remember how you spell 'squirrel'. But another part of his clever first-impressions plan was already forming in his head - he'd hold that poopy in just a little bit longer, and then after he'd shown off his cleverness with letters and numbers, he'd say "And now I think I'll go and sit on the potty, because I need to go poopy and I didn't do it in my pants, I held it in until it was a good time to go potty," and casually walk to the little boys' room, leaving the big cubs to watch him admiringly and say "That squirrel's a big boy and not a diaper baby like some of these other daycare cubs! He uses the potty, just like a kindergartener, and he never has accidents!"
So then all that remained was to wait for the big cubs to arrive. But when you're a hyperactive squirrel toddler who's waited to use the potty for much longer than he should've, five minutes feels like at least three or four lifetimes. Zee-Zee sat down, jumped up again, circled his pile of blocks twice, climbed up on a nearby chair and back down again, squatted down, stood up, curled his tail between his legs and hugged it, and suddenly realised that waiting really wasn't an option any more. He ran as fast as he could to the bathroom, but by the time he got there it was definitely too late to come out smelling of roses.
After briefly considering hiding somewhere until hometime, Zee-Zee calculated that a quick change of pull-ups would leave everyone none the wiser, so he waddled at top speed to the changing room, shouting "Rai, Rai, I pooped my pants and you gotta change me quick before the big cubs... oops."
The 'oops' came when he noticed that the changing room was full of kindergarten cubs, getting a guided tour of the daycare and a first impression of Zee-Zee that wasn't at all what he'd hoped for.
It all worked out just fine in the end, though. At one point in the kindergarten show, they invited a member of the audience up on stage, and the owl girl remembered Zee-Zee from earlier and chose him! He got a round of applause for helping with a magic trick, and then before the big cubs went back to school, Zee-Zee did get a chance to show them that he could count to ten and remember what the cow says. He was almost certain that everyone went away thinking he was a clever big squirrel, and all because he'd made such a memorable first impression! ^.^
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Sun Jul 24, 2011 6:56 pm
