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This is the story of Oliver, the boy who was brave enough to talk about his feelings. 

Chapter 10 Expressing how you feel is important.

There was more news about the virus every day now. And life changed a lot on Dot Island, with the new rules and measures from the government. Everybody had to wear a face mask out in public, you had to stay at least 1.5 meters away from others, and Oliver still wasn’t sure how far that really was. In school, all the tables and chairs were spread out, and some classes were even in the hallway now, simply because there wasn’t enough space.

What annoyed Oliver the most was the smelly hand sanitizer that was sprayed before entering any building, also at school, not to mention the endless washing of your hands. The virus was all anybody was talking about. It made people scared. As more and more people got sick, the prime minister decided on a drastic measure, a lockdown. 

Schools, shops, and offices closed. Only grocery stores and pharmacies were allowed to stay open, but only for a limited time. Over the weekend, everything was closed, everything. You couldn’t go out at all, only in your own backyard. At first, Oliver was okay with not going to school and enjoyed playing with Mr. Silly in the backyard. After a week or so, he started missing school, playing with his friends, and even listening to Ms. James in class. 

Oliver was lucky that he could go to the farm with his dad some days. But the rest of the time, he was bored, and after a while nothing seemed to cheer him up anymore. After about ten days, his mom called Oliver asking him to come and see her outside. To Oliver’s surprise, he saw Ms. James sitting in her car talking to his mom. He never imagined being so happy to see her. Ms. James said that she was dropping off some schoolwork, and she also explained that starting next Monday, they would have school online on the laptop. 

Ms. James stepped out of her car and asked Oliver to step away from the gate as she placed his work on the concrete path. It was unusual to see her wearing a facemask. It was weird. Oliver asked, does that mean I get to see everyone on the laptop, like all my friends? Yes, Oliver, that is precisely what it means. He started dancing around, stumbling over Mr. Silly, but he didn’t care; he was so looking forward to seeing everyone. Ms. James said she had even asked Ms. Marieke to prepare an online art class for next week, just like they used to have in school. 

Oliver waved at her when she drove off to visit other children from her class. Bye, Ms. James, bye-bye, see you next week. He picked up his homework and went inside the house to start working on it. To his surprise, there was a note from Ms. Marieke asking everyone to prepare for her art class. Oliver started looking for all the materials on the list. He loved art class and wanted to be well prepared for next Monday.

He found a small cereal box and decided to put everything in there. He wrote a note on the box: Please don’t touch, art class, Oliver! He had almost all of the items on the list. Sadly, most of his crayons were broken. Oliver wanted everything to be perfect, then he remembered Ms. James always saying, broken crayons can still color, which made him feel a little better about it. 

Monday finally arrived, and Oliver had asked his dad to help set up the laptop for school that day. The laptop was old, and it had quite a few scratches on the screen, but luckily it still worked. Oliver’s mom helped him start Zoom, and right on time, there was Ms. James and all of his friends and classmates. Everyone was waving and talking at the same time. After a few minutes, it was time for school to start. The class went silent and they started working on spelling.

Before they knew it, it was already snack time. Oliver’s mom made some cocoa tea and a sandwich for him. Oliver thought of how happy he was to see all his friends and Ms. James, and to be home at the same time. Even though it was not the same as really seeing them in person, it was so much better than being bored.

After snacks, it was time for art class. Once again, everyone was invited to talk about how this unusual situation made them feel. Ms. Marieke said that it was very important to express your feelings, with or without words, because it’s not always easy to know how you feel. Don’t keep your feelings inside. Find a way to let them out. 

While everyone was working on their art this morning, Oliver had a big smile on his face. Not only because he loved doing arts and crafts, more so because he felt grateful for Ms. James, his friends, and his parents. And let’s not forget Ms. Marieke, who explained that it is okay and even healthy to express how you feel, whatever is going on in your life.

Just so you know …

Like Oliver’s life, we all have times when we feel angry, sad, happy, or grateful. Whether you are a boy or a girl, never ever feel ashamed of expressing how you feel. Sometimes you may not even know how you think. It might all seem like a big bowl of feelings. 

If you feel it could help you talk about it, find an adult you trust. Your mom or dad, granny, teacher, or pastor.

Always remember that using your creativity can help you as well. Expressing how you feel on paper, in a dance, or in a story, will help to make sense of it all. It doesn’t have to be perfect; we all make mistakes, which is totally okay.

Oliver and his family and friends are waving goodbye for now. We hope you enjoyed our story and look forward to seeing you for more adventures. Bye everyone, bye!!!!!

Final Thoughts