"Dad! My unicorn stuffy says your car needs to use its blinker!" Emma shouted from the backseat.
Dad chuckled, "That’s silly, Emma. Unicorns don’t talk, and they don’t know about car blinkers!"
But Emma knew better. She had a secret: she could talk to animals! And sometimes, those animals told her silly things, like that Dad's car felt sad when it wasn’t used correctly.
"But Dad," Emma insisted, "it's important to be respectful to everyone, even cars!"
Dad raised his eyebrows, surprised. “You’re right, Emma. We should be respectful to everything, even cars. Using our blinker is like saying ‘excuse me’ to other cars."
After that, Emma decided to use her superpower to make sure everyone in Austin was being respectful! One day, she was playing in the backyard when she saw the mail carrier struggling to deliver a package.
"Mr. Squirrel," Emma called out to a bushy tail peeking from a tree, "Can you tell the mail carrier that we appreciate him bringing our mail and that we hope he has a good day?"
The squirrel flicked his tail and scurried down the tree. A moment later, the mail carrier looked up and smiled. "Well, thank you!" he called out.
Emma beamed. It felt good to spread respect!
Later that week, Emma and Dad were at the park. As Dad was setting up their picnic, Emma noticed a group of kids throwing trash on the ground.
"Excuse me," Emma said politely, "Throwing trash on the ground isn’t very respectful to the park. It's like being mean to a friend's home."
The kids looked at each other, then at the trash on the ground. They hadn't thought of it that way before.
"You're right," one of the kids said, picking up a candy wrapper. "Let's put this in the trash can. We want to be respectful to the park."
Emma smiled. Even though she was little, she could make a big difference!
That night, Emma told Dad all about her day.
“You know, Emma,” Dad said, “You remind me of a princess. Not a princess who wears fancy dresses and tiaras, but a princess who is kind and respectful to everyone.”
Emma giggled. “A princess who talks to animals?”
“Exactly!” Dad laughed. “A princess who knows that being respectful is the most important thing of all.”
As Emma drifted off to sleep, she dreamt of a magical kingdom where everyone was kind and respectful. Even the cars used their blinkers! And in her dream, Emma, the respectful princess, knew that even small acts of kindness could make the world a much better place.
