Murphy Makes a Mistake

Murphy wants to be perfect. But being perfect is exhausting—even for a cat.

Murphy is a handsome tiger-striped cat with a very serious goal: to be so good that everyone will love him. So when he shouts the wrong answer in Circle Time, freezes during Center Time, and can't bring himself to put marker to paper during Art Time, his tummy flip-flops and his ears droop. If I mess up, he worries, I won't be good anymore.

It takes his teacher, one squiggly "mistake," and a whole lot of courage for Murphy to learn the truth: mistakes don't make you bad. They make you brave enough to learn.

I wrote Murphy Makes a Mistake as a warm, funny, and deeply relatable story for any child (or grown-up!) who's ever been afraid to get it wrong. It's perfect for classrooms, homeschool groups, and bedtime shelves, and it gently opens the door to conversations about perfectionism, self-acceptance, and the freedom of trying anyway—long before those big feelings take root.

Because the bravest thing a kid can learn isn't how to be perfect. It's how to mess up, try again, and still be a very good cat (or kid) indeed.

I'm Becky Funk, a parent communication coach who helps moms get so connected to their teens that their kids actually want to talk to them. Murphy's story started small—but the lesson underneath it is one I believe it's never too early (or too late) to learn.

🎉COMING SOON!🎉