Marina Says No Thank You

Marina is a gentle dolphin with a soft, kind voice. And Marina knows something important: sometimes you don’t want to swap - and that is okay!

One day Pebble came along holding a green shell. “Would you like to swap for my green shell?” asked Pebble.

But Marina was already holding her favourite shell - a smooth, silvery one - and she did not want to give it away. So Marina smiled and said, very gently, “No thank you, Pebble. I’m happy with my silvery shell.”

And you know what? Nothing bad happened at all! Pebble did not cry. Marina did not feel bad. They were still friends. Because a kind “no thank you” is not a sad thing. It is just a gentle no.

“Thank you for asking me!” said Marina warmly. “But this shell is my favourite, so I’ll keep it. Maybe another time!”

Pebble smiled. “Okay, Marina! That’s alright.” And off Pebble went to find a friend who DID want to swap - happy as before.

That is what Marina shows us, and it is a kind and gentle thing. If someone asks you to swap and you don’t want to, you can say “no thank you” softly. And if a friend says “no thank you” to YOU, that is okay too. A kind no is not a loss. Everyone stays friends.

A grown-up can play too! Practise together. One of you asks, “Want to swap?” and the other says, gently and with a smile, “No thank you!” See? Nobody is sad. It’s just a gentle no, and that is perfectly okay.

When you don’t want a swap, say ‘no thank you’ kindly - and it is not a sad thing, just a gentle no. That’s Marina.