Mila came home from school and reached into her backpack for her house key. It was not there. She checked every pocket. The key was gone.
She sat on the front step and tried to think. Where did I have it last? She remembered putting it in her jacket pocket that morning.
But she had taken her jacket off at recess. Maybe it fell out on the playground! She walked back to school as fast as she could.
The playground was empty now. Mila checked the swings, the slide, and the bench where she had left her jacket. Nothing. Her stomach felt tight.
Then she noticed something shiny in the grass near the monkey bars. She ran over and picked it up. Her key! It must have fallen when she was climbing.
She held the key tightly in her fist and walked home. This time she put it on a string around her neck, just like Mom had suggested weeks ago.
When Mom came home, Mila told her what happened. Mom smiled and said, I am proud of you for solving the problem yourself instead of panicking.
From that day on, Mila always wore her key on the string. She never lost it again. Some lessons, she thought, you only need to learn once.