Remember This.

There was once a young mother who had a four-year-old daughter at the time she gave birth to her second child. Almost as soon as the new baby was born, her little girl started making a very strange request. "Please, Mommy," she would ask, "Please let me be alone with my baby brother for awhile.Just a little while.Please!"

The mother was uncomfortable with this. She'd been an only child herself, and she knew nothing about the dynamics of siblings. She worried: What could her little girl possibly want to do with the baby that she couldn't be around for? Was her daughter jealous? Did she mean the baby harm? Shouldn't her daughter's visit with the baby be supervised?

She couldn't imagine her daughter hurting the baby, but still, the mother felt uneasy and kept putting her off. Nonetheless, the little girl persisted. Every day she asked her mother to let her spend some time alone with the infant. Finally after some months, the mother voiced her concern to a friend. "Why not give her a chance?" soothed her friend. "It sounds so very important to her.If you're concerned, you can stand outside the door and monitor things. Send her into the baby's room alone and leave the door open just a crack to listen."

So that evening, the mother announced to her daughter that tomorrow she'd be able to visit her tiny brother all by herself. The child lit up with excitement! She could hardly sleep.

The next day at mid-morning, the two of them stood outside the baby's room. The mother smiled. "It's time," she said, "I'll be close by if you need me."

"Oh, thank you, Mommy!" whispered the child as she crept inside, "Thank you!"

The curious mother stood quietly by her post, watching and waiting to see what would happen. Her child approached the crib, gently patted the baby on the back and then whispered urgently, "Quick! Please! Remind me about Heaven. I'm starting to forget!"

© 2002, Mary Lloyd Dugan. Mary Lloyd Dugan is an award-winning storyteller based in Myrtle Beach, SC. Visit her website at www.dancingponyproductions.com to find more stories and products for children.