Terry the T-Rex was a very enthusiastic dinosaur. He loved to play, but sometimes… his playing was a little *too* enthusiastic. Terry had big feet, and when he got excited, he’d stomp! He had a booming roar, and when he got really, really excited, he’d ROAR! This often meant accidentally knocking over trees, scattering berry bushes, and making all the little dinosaurs scatter.
The other young dinosaurs tried to play with Terry, but they were often scared. “He’s too loud!” chirped Pip, a tiny Pterodactyl. “He’ll stomp on my nest!” worried Shelly, a Triceratops. Terry didn’t *mean* to scare anyone, but he didn’t quite know how to control his size and his excitement. He just wanted to have fun!
One sunny afternoon, Terry was trying to join a game of hide-and-seek. He spotted Rosie, a Brachiosaurus, carefully arranging a beautiful pile of colorful pebbles. Terry, eager to join the fun, rushed forward, roaring with delight. “I’m it!” he boomed. But his roar sent a gust of wind that scattered Rosie’s pebbles everywhere.
Rosie’s long neck drooped. She didn’t yell, but Terry could see she was very sad. Old Man Tiberius, a wise Ankylosaurus, slowly ambled over. He didn’t scold Terry, but he sat beside Rosie and helped her gather the pebbles. Then, he turned to Terry.
“Terry,” Old Man Tiberius said kindly, “you have a lot of energy, and that’s wonderful. But sometimes, the strongest thing you can do isn’t to roar the loudest or stomp the hardest. Sometimes, the strongest thing is to be gentle.”
Terry tilted his head. “Gentle?” he asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means using your size and strength to *help* others, not to accidentally hurt them,” Old Man Tiberius explained. “It means thinking about how your actions might make someone else feel.” He showed Terry how to carefully pick up a pebble with his teeth, demonstrating a gentle touch.
Terry practiced. He picked up a pebble, very, very slowly and carefully. It was much harder than stomping! He then tried walking slowly, taking tiny steps. It felt strange, but he kept practicing. He even tried a quiet little rumble instead of a booming roar.
The next day, Terry saw Pip the Pterodactyl trying to build a nest. Instead of rushing over, Terry slowly walked towards Pip and offered to help. He used his big head to gently nudge branches into place, being careful not to break them. Pip was amazed!
“Wow, Terry!” Pip chirped. “You’re being so gentle!”
Then, Terry saw Shelly the Triceratops looking worried about a wobbly pile of leaves. Terry carefully used his snout to steady the pile, making sure it wouldn’t fall. Shelly smiled gratefully.
Soon, all the little dinosaurs were playing with Terry. He still had lots of energy, but he remembered to be gentle. He learned that making his friends happy felt much better than roaring and stomping. He discovered that being gentle wasn’t weak at all – it was the strongest thing he could be.
As the sun began to set, Terry curled up near Old Man Tiberius. “Being gentle is hard work,” he said with a yawn.
Old Man Tiberius chuckled. “It is, Terry. But it’s also the most rewarding work of all.” Terry closed his eyes, feeling happy and peaceful. He dreamed of helping his friends and being the gentlest T-Rex in the whole wide world. And that, little one, is a very good dream to have.