The Boy Who Wouldn't Get Dressed

Once upon a time there was a little boy, named David, who refused to get dressed in the morning. He would run round the house in his pyjamas ..
Play in the sandpit... Chase the dogs on the lawn...
And every time his mother said "David, please come and get dressed!" he would hide…
Or kick and scream so much that it was really too much bother to dress him at all.
He would make his mother cross... His father shake his head in despair.
And even his nanny, Betty, would finally lose her cheery wide beam of a smile, and say crossly "I really don't know, David. You just make me lose my patience."
The only time David ever dressed without too much fuss was when he was going out, and even then it took an awfully long time, as he just wouldn't stay still.
He'd dress in his shirt in the bedroom ... Put on his pants in his parents’ room ...Sit down to put on his socks in the bathroom.
And slide his foot into each shoe as he went along the passage, hopping about on one foot. What a business it was!
But one day, David was taught a good lesson. The evening before, his Mummy had told him... "David, tomorrow you must get up early and dress quickly because we're going to visit cousin John at the farm. It's his birthday, and we have a long way to go."
Next morning after Betty woke him, he saw his mother dressing his little sister Sylvie, and remembered that he wanted to see if the carrots were growing in his vegetable garden.
Then he just had to look at his ant farm to check whether they were working hard...Tickle the dog. Play with the cat... See what the neighbours were doing on the other side of the fence.
And all the time Betty followed him around, trying to get him to dress. Finally she gave up, and went to speak to his parents.
Soon, David realised that the house was very quiet. "That's funny," he thought, "what happened to our trip to the farm? And where's mummy, daddy and Sylvie?"
They weren't in the lounge.... They weren't in the dining room...And in their bedroom everything was tidy, and the room was empty.
Eventually, David found Betty doing washing in the laundry. "Where's Mummy and Daddy?" he asked. "Aren't we going to be late for the party?" "Oh, they've gone ... a long time ago," said Betty. "They dressed, and off they went."
"Without me?" said David, his eyes wide with wonder. "They went without me? How could they do that? How could they leave me at home, all alone." "Well, I'm here, so you're not alone," said Betty, "and you're not dressed, even now, so how could you go?"
"You're joking, I know you are. They would never go without me. I'll get dressed straight away and then they'll come out of their hiding place." Hurrying to his room, David dressed quickly, putting on the clothes that Betty had laid out for him.
His favourite shirt....a pair of dungarees...socks and lace-up shoes.
"I'm ready, I'm ready," he called, hurrying into the lounge, his hair neatly combed and his face and hands clean. "You can come out now." But nothing happened. No one came.
"Where are you?" he called, running into every room in the house. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" he shouted out into the garden. But no one was there. Just Betty hanging up the washing.
"I told you, they've gone!" she said, taking a peg out of her mouth. "You should have got dressed like they told you." Hanging his head forlornly, David sat on the kitchen steps. In his mind he could see the children at the farm...
Running after the ducks.... chasing the chicks.... cuddling the kittens.
Even patting the nose of Hattie, the old donkey, or riding on his back.
He imagined all the children at the party eating clown cookies and wobbly jellies...Helping John blow out the candles on his birthday cake....Getting a box of goodies to take away.
And his eyes started to fill with tears.. "I'll never do it again," he whispered to himself. "I'll never make my mummy and daddy cross because I won't get dressed."
That evening, just as the sun was going down, David was standing at the window when he saw his parents, and heard the shrill excited voice of little Sylvie. "Davie, Davie, we home!" she cried, "we had a lubly time. Why you no come?"
David didn’t know what to say. Then he answered, “Because I didn’t get dressed in time, Sylvie. I’m sorry! I won’t do it again.”
His mother smiled. His father smiled. And Sylvie smiled. “Dood!” she said, “‘cause I missed you, Davie, and we go to the Zoo tomowow.”
Of course, David was the first person dressed next morning, and every morning after that.