麻豆约拍

Jamie was a boy who didn鈥檛 like being told what to do. He was seven years old now and he thought he was old enough to decide what to do for himself. If a teacher or his Mum or his Dad told Jamie that he had to do something he鈥檇 often get quite cross and ask why.

鈥淲hy do I have to go to bed now? Why do I have to wear my coat? Why should I have to sit still when I鈥檓 eating?鈥�

听Sometimes his Mum got tired of always explaining to Jamie why he had to do things. Sometimes she lost her temper and snapped 鈥淛ust do it!鈥�.

Hearing those three words would always make Jamie very angry and that鈥檚 exactly what happened yesterday.

鈥淚t鈥檚 tea time, Jamie鈥�, said his Mum. 鈥淲ash your hands please.鈥�

鈥淒on鈥檛 need to,鈥� said Jamie. 鈥淢y hands are clean.鈥�

鈥淲ash them anyway please,鈥� said Jamie鈥檚 Mum.

鈥淲hy?鈥� said Jamie.

鈥淵our hands might have germs on them鈥�, said his Mum.

鈥淭here aren鈥檛 any germs on my hands,鈥� said Jamie. 鈥淟ook!鈥�

鈥淲e can鈥檛 see germs,鈥� said his Mum. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e too small.鈥�

鈥淢um鈥檚 just being fussy,鈥� thought Jamie. 鈥淛ust like she always is. Just like when she makes me wear my cycling helmet even when I鈥檓 just riding round the park. Just like when she.....鈥�

鈥淲ash your hands please, Jamie鈥�, said his Mum for the third time.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 need to...鈥� said Jamie

鈥淛ust do it!鈥� said his Mum.

There she鈥檇 said it. 鈥淛ust do it鈥�. Now, Jamie was really angry. He went to the bathroom and turned on a tap. His Mum could hear the water running but Jamie didn鈥檛 wash his hands.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 need to wash them and she can鈥檛 make me鈥�, he thought to himself.

Then he turned off the tap, pretended to dry his hands on a towel and went and ate his tea.

After tea Jamie played with his little brother, Rory. Rory was just a toddler and Jamie enjoyed playing with him. He knew hundreds of ways to make Rory laugh. His Mum was always saying 鈥淩ory鈥檚 so lucky to have a big brother like you, Jamie鈥�.

Later that evening, Rory wasn鈥檛 very well. He looked hot and then he was sick.

鈥淗e鈥檚 got a bit of a temperature,鈥� said Jamie鈥檚 Mum. 鈥淟ooks like he鈥檚 picked up a bug.鈥�

鈥淲hat鈥檚 a bug, Mum?鈥� asked Jamie.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a germ,鈥� said Mum.

Jamie went very quiet. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 wash my hands鈥�, he thought. 鈥淚 handled Rory鈥檚 toys and he put the toys in his mouth. What if there were germs on my hands? What if Rory鈥檚 picked up a bug and it鈥檚 all my fault?鈥�

鈥淚s he going to be OK?鈥� asked Jamie.

鈥淗e鈥檒l be fine鈥�, said Jamie鈥檚 Dad. 鈥淵ou go to bed now. There鈥檚 no need for you to worry.鈥�

But Jamie was worried. He went to bed but couldn鈥檛 sleep. Jamie got out of bed and went to the top of the stairs.

鈥淒o you think we should take him to the hospital?鈥� he heard his Mum saying.

鈥淵es, maybe鈥�, said his Dad. 鈥淗e seems to be getting worse.鈥�

Now Jamie was really frightened. He ran downstairs.

鈥淭his is all my fault鈥�, he said and he started to cry.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 your fault?鈥� said his Mum.

鈥淩ory being ill. It鈥檚 my fault cos I didn鈥檛 wash my hands. I just pretended to and then I played with Rory and the germs on my hands must have got onto his toys and gone in his mouth and now he鈥檚 ill and it鈥檚 all cos of me.鈥�

Jamie鈥檚 Mum knelt down and put her arms round him.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 know where Rory picked up the germs. It could have been the playground or the park or the cafe where we had a drink on the way home.鈥�

鈥淏ut it could have been me.鈥� said Jamie.

鈥淵es love鈥�, said his Mum. 鈥淚t could have been you.鈥�

Jamie went back to bed. For a while, he lay awake listening and wondering .... and then the next thing he knew it was morning. Jamie knew it was morning because he could hear birds singing, but he also thought he could hear something else. There was another noise coming from downstairs. He got up and opened his bedroom door and, yes! The noise he could hear was Rory 鈥� laughing!

Jamie raced down the stairs and there in the kitchen Rory was sitting in his high chair eating porridge and laughing.

鈥淗e鈥檚 better!鈥� said Jamie.

鈥淵es鈥�, said his Mum. 鈥淟ittle ones are like that. One minute they鈥檙e really poorly then the next ...they鈥檙e sitting up eating porridge. Now come on Jamie. Eat your breakfast. We鈥檙e running late.鈥�

鈥淛ust a minute鈥�, said Jamie.

Jamie went to the bathroom. He turned on the tap and this time he slowly, carefully washed his hands.

听