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Waiting for Something I Really Want

Roo Bloom · Social Stories · roobloom.com

  1. My birthday is comingMy birthday is on Saturday. Today is only Wednesday.
  2. I keep thinking about itI keep thinking about my party and my cake.
  3. I might feel wobblyI might feel excited, impatient and wobbly, all at once.
  4. Days take timeI can’t make Saturday come faster.
  5. Counting the sleepsI can count the sleeps on the calendar.
  6. When waiting feels too bigWhen waiting feels too big, I can help my body.

    I could try… Move my body — stretch or jump · Hug a cushion · Do something else for a bit

  7. I can tell a grown-upI can tell a grown-up how the waiting feels.

    I can say: “Waiting is so hard!”

  8. I can fill the daysI can do things I enjoy while the days go by.
  9. Waiting isn’t foreverWaiting feels slow, but the days keep moving.
  10. The day comesThen it’s Saturday, and it’s my birthday!
  11. One day at a timeI am learning to wait, one day at a time.

I can remember

  • Waiting for something I want is hard.
  • Every sleep brings it closer.
  • I can say how the waiting feels.
  • I can fill the days with things I enjoy.
For grown-ups

What this story teaches

That waiting days for something exciting can feel huge and uncomfortable — even when the thing is happy — and a few ways to carry it: count the sleeps, say how it feels, help the body, and fill the days.

When to use it

  • In the week before a birthday, holiday or visit.
  • When a delivery or a promised treat is a few days away.
  • When your child asks “Is it today?” many times a day — it often means the waiting is hard to hold.

For this story

  • A visual countdown helps: cross off each day on a calendar, or take one link off a paper chain each morning.
  • Think about when to tell your child. For some, a big event is easier to hear about closer to the day.
  • If a date isn’t certain (like a parcel), say so honestly: “It might come Friday, or it might be next week.”

How to use it

  • Read it together on a calm day, not mid-meltdown. In the hard moment itself, fewer words help more: stay close, keep everyone safe, and save the story for later.
  • Read it again just before a tricky moment you can see coming: on the way to the park, the night before a haircut.
  • Make it fit your child: skip pages, stop when they’ve had enough, swap a detail as you read so it matches your child’s day, or read only the “I can remember” card.
  • Add your child’s first name on the story’s opening page and it appears in a line or two. The name stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.
  • Use the story’s words in real life (“No means not right now”), and model them when you hear “no” too.
  • Notice tries, not perfect calm. Big feelings are allowed; the story is about what to do with them.

Good to know

  • These stories are for everyday disappointments and changes. They never mean a child should put up with pain, fear, unsafe touch, bullying or anything that hurts — telling a trusted adult is always the right answer there.
  • Nothing here asks a child to make eye contact, hug anyone — family included — stop stimming or stop crying. Crying and moving are ways bodies cope, and headphones or a break are always allowed.
  • Where a story says a grown-up will do something — stop when a hand goes up, give a warning, keep a “later” spot — make sure it really happens, or change that page. A signal that isn’t honoured teaches a child their words don’t work.
  • The aim is understanding and choices, not a quiet or compliant child. Asking “why?”, saying no to touch and disagreeing in words are skills to welcome.
  • Visual stories help many children and not every child. Adapt, skip or change any page. This is an educational resource, not therapy or medical advice.