Rafi the rabbit was on his way to school, wearing wide pants with a flower pattern, a tight-fitting shirt, so short that it showed his belly, his greatest pride, blue flip-flops, a burlap backpack, and big, cute pink headphones! He was singing and dancing with his feet close together, hopping and spinning around, but he only did it when he felt the music. The rest of the way, he walked upright, but he swayed his hips like his friend, whom he called princess. When he arrived at his spot, his friend Pig, all snub-nosed, very fat and hairy, would join the group. Rabbit always called her «my beautiful princess,» and that’s how Pig looked. Snake, thin and chatterbox, always spoke like a real charmer. Rabbit said that even Don Juan would envy his friend because all the girls in the group fell for him. Another friend was the limping little duck, with very short legs and a tail so big that it made walking not very easy. Rabbit’s boyfriend also awaited him, and when he saw Rabbit, the porcupine always sighed. A group of somewhat peculiar friends who felt proud of their exclusive friendship. They left glances wherever they walked, proud to be unique, free, and beautiful. Most importantly, they accepted each other just as they were. Each had many talents; for example, Rabbit danced, jumped, and spun his feet like a top. No musical genre seemed difficult to him. Pig loved to model; she felt she garnered looks and sighs as she walked down the runway. They truly admired her unique way of walking. Snake knew how to recite very well, a skill he used to make everyone fall in love. The small and somewhat coquettish duck talked non-stop, always saying that she wanted to graduate as a journalist and that she would surely succeed. Porcupine, Rabbit’s boyfriend, just wanted to cook. Valuable friends who know how to accept the best in each other without criticizing. Now, I come to tell you, how much do I accept myself, and what does this happy group teach me? Each being so unique and original without fear of what others may say or of failing.

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Story about Values: Well-being

It was a sunny day, and everything looked radiant in the greenhouse of medicinal aromatic plants, each more beautiful and vibrant than the other. Each plant felt proud because it had its own colors, aromas, flavors, and significant benefits. The day before, they had brought a very large lemon balm, and each aromatic wanted to impress it. So, as always, chamomile, one of the most beautiful, spoke up: «Mr. Lemon Balm, I am chamomile, and I have many uses. I am a laxative, emollient, anti-inflammatory, stimulating tonic, antispasmodic, sedative, antiallergic, and vermifuge.»

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Finally! The national gymnastics competitions had arrived, and Sarita, the youngest girl in the competition, was ready to give her all. Since the age of four, she had been training in gymnastics with great motivation. As she grew older, she practiced it daily for long hours, but since it was what she loved so much, she did not feel tiredness. She truly seemed like a «spring.» This ability and discipline helped her quickly master the vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercises. She always encouraged her teammates to boost their confidence, giving her coach a little tap on the shoulder and gently saying, «Trust.» When the competitions began, she liked to loudly say to her teammates, «Let’s go all out!» It wasn’t because she underestimated the other competitors, but it was the confidence she had in her coach, teammates, and most importantly, in herself. The other gymnasts were tall and slender, which favored them a lot, while Sarita was short and of a sturdy build. However, she took it as a challenge and embraced it wholeheartedly.

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For the little tamarin, it was extremely hard to be shamelessly abducted from his family and home in the Amazon. The larger monkeys had talked about the issue before, but he never imagined that he would be a victim of animal trafficking. The monkey relatives always said they were taken to very distant places, so distant that it was impossible to see any member of the troop again or even set foot on Amazonian lands. He remembered and cried in his cage, still somewhat sedated. He clumsily jumped in the cage and moved the bars with nothing able to happen. When he turned to look around, the place was full of cages with all kinds of animals, some of them familiar, each one more dejected than the other, succumbing to the pain of losing freedom, their troop, and their land.

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While standing in line to sell her recyclables, Jazmín was telling an acquaintance, «I’ve been very diligent throughout the year. I don’t like the lean times to catch me off guard. I’ve been asking my daughter since February what she wants for Christmas. She told me she wants a dollhouse, and in July, the little one insisted on an armo made of tubes. She’s happy with the toys I make. In the backyard where I store the recyclables, I have about two bags full of toilet paper tubes and like four disassembled cardboard boxes. When I put her to sleep so she can go to school the next day, I unfold all my creativity and love for these gifts. It was frustrating for me as a child that my mom couldn’t give me gifts. I understand; she was very poor and couldn’t think about how to make them. But, thank God, life sent me intelligent and talented. I think I have an artist inside me. I’m painting everything beautifully with colorful flowers and stars to make cars, houses, buildings, bridges, robots—whatever she wants. I also use cardboard and sticks to make sure they fit well together and don’t fall apart. I put it all together, and suddenly it falls apart. On the cardboard, I’m going to make the Barbie dollhouse from the one on TV. In every recycling sale, I save a little money to buy the materials I need—paint, glue, liquid silicone. In short, I’ve already spent a lot of money on making these toys. They’re expensive, but it doesn’t matter as long as my girl is happy and plays with them. I mean, poor but proud! And who said that poor people can’t afford these luxuries? Of course, we can. Definitely, not everyone indulges in such things.»

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Globe-trotter traveled the world with his YouTube channel, covering kilometers and kilometers of distance. He had always wanted to explore different cultures and parenting styles around the globe. Many questions filled his mind: What differences exist in each family on every continent? Are all families equally affectionate everywhere? Do all children from every continent play the same, seek the same amusements and games? What opportunities do children have in each country, and in which countries are they not adequately cared for? Will poor children worldwide be unhappy, and will rich children on the planet be very happy? These were questions he pondered on each journey, slowly unraveling the answers.

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Year 2150 AD on planet Earth, or what remained of it, surrounded by spacecraft, cyborgs walking on arid and dusty land, monitored robots standing guard. One might think the weather is very hot, but no, the frost was astonishing. The few humans who still inhabited it had to take refuge in large motherships. Every day, they sought new ways to revive plants, trees, rivers, and seas, contemplating how to produce oxygen again. Going outside without masks was madness—in short, it was impossible. Each day became a marathon race; they did not rest. For them, it was essential to research, review, and think. So far, everything had been trial and error, but they did not falter; they repeated to themselves that they would achieve it someday. They remained optimistic about giving the planet Earth another chance. They had been in this dynamic for over fifty years, repeating every morning, «Even if it takes a thousand years, we will succeed!» Life lessons had been learned; the losses were too great. The adults recounted to the children what it was like before and the mistakes that had been made. They knew it was important to show history so that it would not repeat itself, never again. The children were amazed to see how irrationally and irresponsibly life had been lived. They did not understand the level of selfishness that existed before and the excessive way of causing harm. However, everyone was optimistic that they would have another chance at life on Earth in a more harmonious and respectful way. They knew it was a promise of life for future generations to have a place to stay. Ten years later, «Eureka!» they had managed to revive what they thought was lost, and in the following years, the planet began to reclaim forcefully what rightfully belonged to it.

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At 8:00 in the morning, the doors of Felicidad School were closed, and in classroom 6C, Curramba was still missing. It was a decisive day as they were in the middle of final exams. Joao asked about him, and he still hadn’t arrived. His classmate Melao spoke up, «Now, passing by his house, I saw that they were seizing their belongings. I understand that his mom and dad are unemployed and neck-deep in debt. I heard my parents say that the man made some bad business decisions and didn’t consider his family, leading him to become depressed and consume too much alcohol. So much so that he lost his job due to irresponsibility, and his mom resigned from work a few days ago, claiming to have anxiety attacks. Well, with this situation, I now believe she might get even more anxious. Sometimes I think it was because of not working. What do you guys think about it?» Everyone was silent, listening with wide-open eyes. They were genuinely stunned to hear their classmate Melao speak so candidly. Melao, upon seeing their reactions, said, «But it’s the truth! I believe that…» and was immediately interrupted by Joao. «Hey, stop it! I am surprised to see how shamelessly you talk about our classmate Curramba’s private life. How uncompassionate in the face of such a difficult situation. If you care so much, why don’t you go and help them solve their economic and emotional problems? Who do you think you are to speak so recklessly about a person, let alone our classmate who has shared more than four years with us?» Other classmates also reacted, saying, «Yes, Joao is right. Your gossips and harmful comments lead nowhere. If that’s who you are, what must your parents be like? Ultimately, they are the ones who have raised you.» Joao added, «I’ll tell my mom not to visit your house again! Don’t go and end up sharing personal matters with others, if you haven’t already. And honestly, I wouldn’t doubt it for a second. Do you know that it’s against the law to harm an individual’s integrity?» Joao addressed the group, «Guys! I’m going to Curramba now to support him. Can I count on you?» The classmates said unanimously, «Yes.»

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