pulled herself up into the tree. The other frogs farther out in the pond watched in amazement as
Phillipa climbed her way higher into the branches.
“Frogs are not supposed to do that,” she heard one of her doubting friends mutter below.
“Not supposed to? They can’t!” exclaimed another, not wanting to believe what he had seen.
“They can,” called back Phillipa, excitedly. “I just did. If I can, it’s possible for you to do it, too.”
The others tried. They leapt from the water but they didn’t spread their webbed feet wide
enough or press hard enough with their legs and thus fell short of the branch, toppling back into the
water with a plop.
“Try harder,” encouraged Phillipa.
“We are trying as hard as we can,” the others shouted. “It’s impossible.”
Just then mean Mrs. Snake saw this group of splashing frogs, growing more and more exhausted,
and thought here was a chance for a ten- or twelve-course dinner. She dived into the water and in-
stantly the branches of the tree around Phillip looked like a Christmas tree decorated with frog or-
naments.
“See,” Phillipa said triumphantly, “it is possible.”
The frogs hung on for dear life, wrapping their legs tightly around the branches, frightened to
move, frightened they might fall back into the water, frightened of mean Mrs. Snake lurking below.
When mean Mrs. Snake eventually gave up and left, the frogs felt more confident and climbed
their way higher and higher into the tree, where they now felt safe and secure. Not only was it safe,
it was fun. It was fun at times to dive back into the deep center of the pond, for once they knew they
were capable of leaping from the pond—which they hadn’t thought possible before—of course, they
were able to do it again.
There are a number of stories that tell how tree frogs first got from their ponds into the trees,
but I like this one about Phillipa and mean Mrs. Snake. I also like what Phillipa said to her fellow
frogs. She said, “It is possible to believe you can do more than you thought. It is possible to try and
try until you succeed... and then maybe it is possible to do even more.”
STORY 59
LEARNING TO DISCRIMINATETherapeutic Characteristics
Problems Addressed
■ Not knowing when behavior is appropriate or okay
■ Not knowing when it isn’tappropriate or okay
■ Not knowing what to do, where
■ Confusion about the double standards you observeResources Developed
■ Learning to discriminate
■ Making choices about appropriate behaviors
■ Asking what is safe and caring150 Healing Stories, Teaching Stories