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A link can be found in our show notes. Thank

0:22

you. For

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an AD free listening experience

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and more stories, please check

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out sleep Type Premium. A link

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can be found in our show notes Thank

0:35

you. Hello,

0:44

I'm Cheryl and this is sleep

0:47

Tight Relax, a calming

0:49

bedtime show for the young and

0:52

young at heart.

0:57

Into Night's story, a group of young

0:59

raccoons, including big

1:01

Brother and his siblings, were

1:03

invited to a raccoon party by

1:06

the pond hosted by a family

1:08

of raccoons living nearby.

1:11

Excited for the party, they got

1:13

ready by cleaning themselves and

1:16

removing burrs from their fur. Despite

1:19

their mother's advice on manners

1:22

such as washing food before eating

1:24

and walking on their toes, the

1:27

young raccoons forgot all her

1:29

instructions during the party, behaving

1:33

just as they always did. Their

1:36

actions disappointed another raccoon

1:39

mother watching, realizing

1:41

her children also forgot their manners.

1:45

After the party, the young raccoon's

1:47

mother took them back to the pond, where

1:50

they noticed her ignoring

1:52

her own advice on manners.

1:55

This led to a heartfelt discussion

1:58

about manners and behaving properly,

2:01

both at parties and at

2:04

home, revealing the mother's

2:06

intention to teach them a lesson through

2:09

her actions.

2:13

Before we get started with our story,

2:16

let's take a moment to get cozy, comfortable,

2:19

and relaxed. Close

2:24

your eyes and imagine you are by

2:26

a pond deep in the forest,

2:29

full of fun raccoons.

2:32

Now, take a slow, deep

2:34

breath in through your nose, like

2:37

you're smelling the fresh pond air filled

2:40

with the scent of trees and water. Count

2:44

to three in your head. As you do this, imagine

2:48

you're gathering all the calm and coolness

2:50

of the pond. Hold

2:53

your breath and count to three again,

2:56

thinking about the raccoons playing and

2:58

having fun. Imagine

3:01

you're sitting quietly watching

3:03

them dance around happily. Now

3:07

breathe out slowly through your mouth,

3:10

counting to three one more time.

3:13

As you breathe out, think about

3:16

sending all your worries into the pond,

3:19

letting the water wash them away.

3:23

Do this three times. Each

3:26

time you breathe in, think about

3:29

the calm pond. Each

3:31

time you hold your breath, think

3:33

about the fun raccoons. And

3:36

each time you breathe out, imagine

3:39

all your worries going away.

3:43

Keep breathing slowly and

3:45

gently, letting your body

3:47

feel heavy and relaxed.

3:50

As we continue with our story,

3:53

The young raccoons go to

3:55

a party.

4:04

It was not very many nights after

4:06

big Brother had tumbled down from

4:08

the maple tree when he and

4:10

the other children were invited

4:13

to a raccoon party down

4:15

by the pond. The

4:17

water was low, and in the

4:20

small pools by the shore there

4:22

were many fresh water clams

4:25

and small fishes like the raccoons

4:28

like. Best of all, a

4:31

family of six young raccoons

4:33

who lived very near the pond had

4:36

found them just before sunrise

4:39

when they had to climb off to bed. They

4:42

knew there was much more food there

4:45

than they could eat alone, so

4:47

their mother had let them invite their four

4:49

friends who lived in the hollow

4:51

of the oak tree.

4:55

The party was to begin the next

4:58

evening at moonrise, and

5:00

the four children who lived in the oak

5:02

tree got their invitation just

5:05

as they were going to sleep for the day. They

5:09

were very excited over it, for

5:11

they had never been to a party. I

5:15

wish we could go now, said big

5:17

brother. Yes, lots

5:19

of fun it would be now, answered

5:21

little brother. The sun is almost

5:23

up and there are no clouds

5:26

in the sky. We couldn't see

5:28

a thing unless we shaded our

5:30

eyes with our fore paws, and

5:32

if we had to use our fore paws in that

5:34

way, we couldn't eat. You

5:38

do eat at parties, don't you, asked

5:40

little sister, who had not quite understood

5:43

what was said. Of course,

5:46

shouted their brothers. That is what

5:48

parties are for. I

5:51

thought maybe you talked some, said big sister.

5:54

I suppose you do have to some,

5:57

said big brother. But I know you

5:59

eat. I've heard people

6:02

talk about parties lots of times,

6:04

and they always begin by telling what

6:07

they ate. That's what

6:09

makes it a party.

6:11

Oh I wish it were night time and time

6:14

to go, sighed little brother. I

6:16

don't, said little sister. I

6:19

wouldn't have any fun if I were to go now.

6:21

I'd rather wait until my stomach is empty.

6:26

They're there, said their mother. You

6:28

children have talked long enough.

6:31

Now curl up and go to sleep. The

6:34

birds are already singing their morning

6:36

songs, and the owls and bats

6:38

were dreaming long ago. It

6:41

will make night time come much sooner

6:43

if you do not stay awake. We

6:46

are not a bit sleepy, cried

6:48

all the young raccoons together. That

6:50

makes no difference at all, said

6:52

their mother, as she spoke quite sternly.

6:55

Cuddle down for the day. Now cover

6:58

your eyes and stop talking.

7:01

I'm not saying you must sleep, but

7:03

you must stop talking. They

7:07

knew that. When she spoke in that way and

7:09

said must, there was nothing

7:12

to do but to listen. So

7:14

they cuddled down, and every

7:16

one of them was asleep before

7:19

you could drop an acorn. Mother

7:22

raccoon had known it would be, so when

7:27

they awakened early the next night,

7:30

each young raccoon had to make himself

7:32

look as neat as possible. There

7:36

was long fur to be combed,

7:38

faces and paws to be washed, and

7:41

twenty three burrs to be taken

7:43

out of little brother's tail. He

7:46

began to take them out himself, but

7:49

his mother found that whenever he got

7:51

one loose, he stuck it onto

7:53

one of the other children, so

7:55

she made him sit on a branch by himself

7:58

while she worked at the burrs. Sometimes

8:02

she couldn't help pulling the fur, and

8:05

then he tried to wriggle away. You

8:07

got enough out, he cried, let the

8:09

rest go. You

8:12

should have thought sooner how it would hurt.

8:14

She said, you have been told

8:16

again and again to keep

8:18

away from the burs. Then

8:21

she took out another burr and dropped it to

8:23

the ground. Oh, he said,

8:25

let me go, not

8:28

until I am done. She said, No

8:31

child of mine shall ever go to a

8:33

party looking as you do. After

8:38

that, little brother tried to hold still,

8:41

and he had time to think about how glad

8:43

he was that he didn't have any more burrs

8:46

than he did. If he

8:48

had gotten more on himself, he

8:50

would have had to wait while they were being

8:53

pulled off again, and then they

8:55

might have been late for the party. If

8:58

he had been very good, he would

9:00

have been glad they didn't have to be hurt

9:03

as he was. But he was

9:05

not very good, and he never thought of

9:07

that when

9:10

he was ready. At last, the

9:12

raccoon made her four children sit

9:14

in a row while she talked to them. Remember

9:18

to walk on your toes, she

9:20

said, although you may stand

9:23

flat footed if you wish, don't

9:25

act greedy. If you can help it. Go

9:28

into the water as much as you choose, But

9:30

don't try to dive, even if

9:32

they dare you to. Raccoons

9:35

can never learn to dive, no

9:37

matter how well they swim. And

9:40

be sure to wash your food before

9:43

you eat it all.

9:46

The young raccoons said, yes, mom, and

9:49

thought they would remember every

9:51

word. The

9:53

first moonbeam shone on the top

9:55

of the oak tree, and Missus Raccoon

9:58

said, now you may go be

10:01

good children, and remember what I told

10:03

you. Don't stay too

10:05

long. Start home when you

10:07

see the first light in the east.

10:10

Yes, mom, said the young raccoons

10:13

as they walked off very properly

10:15

toward the pond. After

10:18

they were well away from the oak tree,

10:20

they heard their mother calling to them, remember

10:24

to walk on your toes. Raccoons

10:27

cannot go very fast, and

10:30

the moon was shining brightly when

10:32

they reached the pond and met their

10:34

six friends.

10:36

Such frolics as they had in

10:39

the shallow water, swimming, twisting,

10:42

turning scooping up food

10:44

with their busy fore paws, going

10:46

up and down the beach, and rolling

10:49

on the sand. They

10:51

never once remembered what their

10:53

mother had told them, and they

10:55

acted exactly as they

10:57

had been in the habit of doing every

11:00

day. Big brother

11:02

looked admiringly at his own

11:04

tail every chance he got,

11:07

although he had been told particularly

11:10

not to act as if he thought himself fine

11:12

looking. Little

11:15

brother rolled into a lot of sand

11:17

birds and got his first, so matted

11:20

that he looked worse than ever. Big

11:24

sister snatched food from other

11:26

raccoons, and none of

11:28

them remembered about walking on tiptoe.

11:33

Little sister ate half the time without

11:35

washing her food. Of

11:37

course, that didn't matter when

11:39

the food was taken from the pond, But

11:42

when they found some on the beach and ate

11:44

it without washing, that

11:47

was dreadful. No raccoon,

11:49

who is anybody at all, would do that.

11:55

The mother of the family of six looked

11:57

on from a tree nearby. The

12:00

children did not know that she was there.

12:03

What manners, she said, I

12:05

don't think I will invite them here again.

12:09

Just then she saw one of her

12:12

own sons eat without washing

12:14

his food, and she groaned

12:16

out loud. My children

12:19

are forgetting too, she said. I

12:22

have told him hundreds of times

12:24

that if he did it that way every day,

12:27

he would do so at a party. But

12:30

he has always said that he would remember.

12:36

The mother of the four young raccoons

12:38

was out hunting and found herself

12:40

near the pond. How

12:43

noisy those children are, she said to

12:45

herself. Night, people should

12:47

be quiet. She

12:49

tiptoed along to a pile of

12:52

rocks, and peeped between them

12:54

to see what was going on. She

12:58

saw her children's footprints on the sand.

13:01

Aha, she said, so

13:03

they did walk flat footed after all.

13:07

She heard somebody scrambling down

13:09

a tree nearby. Good

13:11

evening, said a pleasant raccoon

13:14

voice near her. It was the mother

13:16

of six. Are

13:19

you watching the children's party, asked

13:21

the newcomer. I hope you did

13:23

not notice how badly my son is behaving.

13:27

I have tried to teach my children

13:29

good manners, but they will be careless

13:31

when I am not looking, and then of

13:33

course they forget in company. That

13:37

made the mother of the four feel more comfortable.

13:40

I know just how that is. She said,

13:42

My need to be good, but they

13:45

are so careless it is

13:47

very discouraging. The

13:50

two mothers talked for a long time

13:52

in whispers, and then each went

13:55

to her hole. When

13:59

the four young raccoons came home,

14:01

it was beginning to grow light, and

14:04

they kept close together because they were

14:06

somewhat afraid. Their

14:08

mother was waiting to see them settled for

14:11

the day. She asked

14:13

if they had had a good time, and said

14:15

she was glad they had got home promptly

14:19

they had been afraid. She would ask if they had

14:21

washed their food and walked on their toes.

14:25

She even seemed not to notice

14:27

little brother's matted coat. When

14:31

they awakened the next night, the

14:34

mother hurried them off with her to

14:36

the same pond where they had been to the party.

14:39

I am going to visit with the mother of your friends,

14:42

she said, and you may play around

14:44

and amuse yourselves. The

14:48

young raccoons had another fine

14:50

time, although little

14:52

brother found it very uncomfortable

14:54

to wear so many birds. They

14:58

played tag in the trees, and ate

15:00

and swam and lay on the beach.

15:05

While they were lying there, the four

15:07

from the oak tree noticed that their mother

15:09

was walking flat footed. There

15:12

was bright moonlight, and anyone might

15:14

see her. They felt dreadful

15:17

about it. Then

15:20

they saw her begin to eat food that

15:22

had not been washed. They

15:25

were so ashamed that they didn't want

15:27

to look their friends in the eyes. They

15:30

didn't know their friends were feeling in the

15:32

same way, because they had seen

15:34

their mother doing the same things. After

15:40

they reached home, big brother

15:42

said very quietly to his mother,

15:45

did you know you ate some food without

15:48

washing it? Oh? Yes,

15:50

she answered, it is a bother to dip

15:52

it all in the water. And

15:55

you walked flat footed said little brother.

15:58

Well, why shouldn't I if I want

16:00

to, she said. The

16:03

children began to cry. People

16:06

will think you don't know any better,

16:08

they said, Oh,

16:10

said their mother. Oh,

16:13

oh, so you think

16:15

that my manners are not as good as yours?

16:18

Is that it? The

16:21

young raccoons looked at each other in

16:23

a very uncomfortable way. Ah,

16:28

we suppose we don't always

16:30

do things right ourselves, they answered.

16:33

But you are a grown up, yes,

16:37

replied their mother, and you will

16:39

be one day soon. For

16:44

a long time, nobody spoke,

16:46

and little sister cried quietly.

16:49

Then missus Raccoon spoke more

16:52

gently. The sun is

16:54

rising, she said. We will go to

16:56

sleep now, and when we wake up

16:58

tomorrow night, we will try to

17:00

have better manners so that we

17:02

need not be ashamed of each other at parties

17:05

or at home.

17:09

Long after the rest were dreaming, big

17:12

sis mister nudged big brother and woke

17:14

him. I understand

17:16

it now, she said, she did

17:18

it on purpose. Who

17:21

did what? He asked, why

17:24

are mother? She was rude

17:26

on purpose to let us see how it looked.

17:30

Big brother thought. For a moment, of

17:33

course, he said, of course

17:35

she did. Well. She

17:38

won't ever have to do it for me again,

17:41

nor for me, said Big Sister,

17:44

and then they went to sleep.

17:49

If you are still awake, I would

17:52

like you to whisper to yourself or

17:55

just say in your mind. I

17:57

listen and learn from others,

18:00

growing wiser every day.

18:05

I remember to be polite and kind,

18:08

sharing joy with everyone.

18:12

I am kind and share my happiness

18:15

with my friends, just like

18:17

the raccoons shared their party. I

18:23

am unique and special. Just

18:25

like each raccoon at the party.

18:31

I am calm, relaxed,

18:34

and peaceful. Good

18:39

Night, sleep tight,

18:42

something not

18:45

afraid to find a way

18:47

whenever refeel

18:49

my rownd.

18:54

They make this glow, this

19:01

fire stone,