Kids Sleep Story: Gus The Gorilla's Big Blow Up

Tonight’s adventure stars Gus the Gorilla, who’s usually a pretty chilled kinda guy... until Pancake Day goes completely wrong.

When someone pushes in front of him in the line and nobody notices how upset he is, Gus tries so hard to hold all those BIG feelings in. But big feelings don’t like being pushed down or ignored, and before long.

This gentle, funny, and relatable story helps kids: Recognise the early signs of anger. Understand the role of movement in calming down. Learn a simple tool to help manage their anger (M.B.T.!)

So snuggle in, take a deep breath, and let’s find out how Gus the Gorilla moves from meltdown... to mellow

Transcript

Hey there my little loves, It's time to settle in, Get comfy and snuggle deep under your blankets. Let your body get still and let your breath get soft. Let your arms and legs go floppy like spaghetti and let your imagination take you far far away to a jungle filled with leafy vines, Sweet fruit smells and animals who feel all the feelings, Just like you and me. Today's story is the story of Gus, Gus the gorilla. Big body, Big heart, Big feelings. Especially one feeling in particular, Anger. But don't worry, This story has a happy ending because Gus learned something super important and maybe, Just maybe, You will too. Gus the gorilla was having the best day ever. He woke up bright and early. He'd been looking forward to this day since this time last week. Why? Because it was pancake day at Jungle Junction. Every Friday the animals lined up for a jungle style breakfast feast. Banana pancakes, Papaya parfaits, Beetle sprinkles and a giant bowl of honey with a wooden spoon bigger than Gus's head. And Gus, Well Gus loved pancakes. He had a whole strategy for pancake day. He'd wake up early, He'd comb his wild and unruly chest hair, Well sort of. He'd pick out his special occasion leaf hat and line up at the exact right time. Not too early and definitely not too late. Today Gus was third in line. Perfect, He thought to himself. He bounced on his heels humming a happy gorilla tune, His tummy rumbling in a polite pancake hungry sort of way. But then it happened. Just as Gus stepped forward to order his triple stack, Raph the rhino charged in from the side and shoved him right out of the way. Gus blinked. He couldn't believe what was happening. Raph didn't even look at him. He just snorted, Muttered hungry and started pointing at all of the toppings. Gus's mouth fell open and then closed and open and closed again. He was speechless. His belly tightened, His face got hot, His heart started pounding, His fists curled, His ears started to buzz like there was a thousand mozzies buzzing around them. He wanted to yell at the top of his lungs. He wanted to say, Hey I'm next. That's not fair. But instead Gus just stepped back. Fine, He mumbled. Except he absolutely was not fine. So Gus left the line and he went and sat under a tree. He crossed his arms and he watched as everyone else ate their pancakes, Laughing and licking the syrup and having such a great time. Gus didn't even touch his banana. He didn't laugh. He didn't even scratch his hairy butt or his stinky armpits. He just stewed and stewed and stewed some more. By lunchtime his belly was still tight. His jaw ached from clenching it so tightly. His chest felt full and heavy like someone had stuffed an elephant inside of it. He joined the Sleepytime crew for their usual snack circle. Coops the capybara was zooming around on his scooter. Luna the lemur was practicing her handstands and Ziggy the zebra had bought juice boxes for everyone. But then Coops scooted right past Gus. He clipped his log stool and knocked it clean over. Right on to Gus's foot. Oh no. The pain, The noise, The juice. It was all just too much for Gus. Gus roared. Not a polite roar. Not a please respect my boundaries roar. Oh no. This was a full jungle shake, Tree rattling, Birds fleeing. Gus is angry roar. He kicked the log. He stomped the dirt and he huffed and puffed like an angry steam train with nowhere to go. Luna's eyes went wide. Ziggy dropped her juice box. Coops froze on the spot. And Gus, Well he turned and he ran. He ran through the ferns. He leaped over the roots and tree trunks. He didn't stop until he reached his secret cave behind the waterfall. It was cool and dark and quiet except for the soft splashing water. He slumped down, Chest heaving, Heart pounding. He felt hot, Then he felt cold, Then he felt empty. But that's when he heard a familiar voice. Soft and calm. That looked like a big feeling Gus, Said Camille, The chameleon, Blending in with the grey rock around her. Gus groaned. I didn't mean to explode. But Raph pushed in and then I sat with it and I went over and over and over in my head for hours. And then Coops knocked over the log and boom, I just blew up. He sniffled. Now everyone thinks I'm scary. Camille crept closer. She didn't say calm down. She didn't say don't be mad. She just nodded. You know what that was Gus? Gus shook his head. That was adrenaline. When we get angry our body fills up with energy to protect us. Our hearts beat faster. Our muscles get tighter. It's like our body thinks it needs to fight or run or lift a whole tree. Gus blinked. So it's not just me being bad. Nope, Camille said. It's just your body saying, Oh this is too much, Too fast. So what do I do ask Gus? Camille smiled. Instead of sitting there and thinking about it over and over for hours on end, Here's what you can do. You move, Then you breathe, Then you talk. It was her favorite trick. She called it M-B-T. So step one, Move. Gus jumped up and down and stomped. He swung on a vine. He beat his chest like a jungle drum and he flapped his arms like spaghetti noodles. It was equal parts ridiculous and amazing. He could feel the tension starting to shift. Step two, Breathe. Big belly breaths in and slow soft breaths out. And again, Big belly breath in and slow soft breaths out. One more time, Big belly breath in and a slow soft breath out. His heart started to slow down. Gus's shoulders started to relax. Now Camille said, Step three, Talk. And for the first time all day, Gus said the real words to how Raph's actions had made him feel. I felt invisible and unimportant and like no one cared that he had pushed in front of me and I had been waiting. And I had been looking forward to this all week. That's why I got so mad. Camille nodded. That's big Gus and really, Really brave of you to admit. The following Friday it was pancake day again. Gus lined up just like he did last week. And guess who tried to cut in line again? You guessed it, Raph the rhino. Gus felt the feelings rising in his body again. His belly buzzed. His fists curled. But this time Gus remembered what Camille had shared with him. M-B-T. M, Move. So he stomped on the spot a few times. B, He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth a couple of times. T, Then he talked. Raph, I was next. Please go to the back of the line and wait your turn. Raph paused. Raph blinked. And then Raph stepped back and moved to the back of the line. Everyone paused for a moment. Then Gus realized it worked. M-B-T worked. Camille was right. Move. Breathe. Talk. She was a genius. No roaring. No exploding. No birds flying for cover. He didn't scare his friends and he didn't sit and think about it over and over in his head for ages either. He stepped forward and got his pancake stack with the biggest grin on his face. He was so proud of himself and rightly so. That afternoon, Gus invited the whole crew, Luna the lemur, Coops the capybara, Ziggy the zebra, Even Raph the rhino, To a new part of the jungle. He'd cleared some space beneath the tallest fig tree and made something really special for all of them. There were soft logs for jumping and vines for swinging, Mossy patches for stomping, And quiet corners for breathing. Right in the middle, He hung a hand-painted wooden sign that said, Feelings field. Big feelings welcome. Please move responsibly. Everyone had a go. Luna swung so high she nearly did a backflip. Ziggy galloped in figure eights. Even Raph did some awkward little rhino jumps that made everybody giggle. But best of all, Nobody teased anyone for their big feelings. Nobody said calm down. Nobody had to pretend they were fine when they weren't. In the feelings field, All feelings were allowed. Even the big, Loud, And messy ones. So later that night, As the jungle turned golden and the sun tucked itself behind the trees, Gus lay in his nest of leaves feeling calm and kind of really, Really proud of himself. He didn't bottle up his anger. He didn't explode and then run away and hide. He remembered those three little letters from Camille. M, B, T. He moved through it. He breathed through it. And he talked about why it was important to him. And now, Well now, Gus was ready to rest. Actually, He was exhausted. So my little loves, Let's slow things down with Gus. He's cozy now, Curled up in his favorite nook, Arms around his mossy pillow, Chest rising and falling with slow, Steady breaths. Let's do that too. Take a long breath in through your nose. And let's hold it and breathe out through our mouths. That's it. Nice and slow. And again, In through your nose. And out through your mouth. Feel your body getting heavier and heavier. Your thoughts getting quieter and quieter. Your heart feeling warm and soft and safe. Remember, My little loves, Anger isn't bad. It's just a message. And your body's way of saying, Hey, Something important's happening here that I don't feel okay with. And when it does, You can move, Breathe and talk, Just like Gus. Because you are wise. Because you are safe. And your feelings are always welcome here. Good night, My little loves. Sleep well. And we'll see you in the jungle again soon.