Holly Harper was a special 8-year-old girl.

She could climb all the way across the monkey bars on the playground and she could count to 1,000.

Holly loved her friends and family and had the best teacher in the whole world.

One day, while playing on the swing-set at recess with her friends, Holly realized something.

She towered over all the other kids in her class. She was taller than her friends and even taller than her teacher!

Ms. Abbey, her teacher, told Holly not to worry about being tall, that one day soon her friends would catch up to her! This did not make Holly feel better. She wanted to fit in right now.

Holly was sad when she went home that afternoon. All she could think about was how she was different from everyone else in her class.

As soon as she got off the bus, she stomped up the stairs and fell down on her bed. Holly's mom knocked on her bedroom door and asked to come in.

"What's wrong?" Holly's mom asked.

"I realized today that I am so much taller than all the other kids at school. Why can't I look more like my friends?" Holly replied.

"Oh, Holly. It is a wonderful thing to be tall! I know many people who would wish to have your height."

Holly's mom continued giving her reasons why it was a good thing to be tall.

Being tall meant she could reach the top shelf and was good at basketball.

Holly still worried that being tall made her weird, because she was different from everyone else.

"When I was your age," Holly's mom began, "I was self-conscious because I had to get glasses. I worried that other students would make fun of me because I looked different from everyone else.

One day, I decided that I did not want to be different anymore, so I hid my glasses and pretended that I did not know where they were.

When I got to school, I struggled all day to do my work! I learned then that it was important to wear my glasses because they helped me."

"I didn't know that you ever worried about what others thought of you, Mom," Holly replied.

"Everyone worries about what others think of them at some point, Holly. But we have to remember that it is great to be different! You are special not just because you look different, but because of the talents and interests you have that set you apart from everyone else," Holly's mom replied.

That night, Holly thought a lot about the story that her mom told her before bed.