A young man went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the initial interview, and now would meet the director for the final interview. The director discovered from his CV that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent.
He asked, Did you obtain any scholarships in school?
The youth answered “NO”.
Who paid your school fees?
“My Parents “, he replied.
“Where do they work?”
“They worked as clothes cleaners,” he said.
The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.
“Have you ever helped your parents to wash the clothes?”
“Never, my parents always wanted me to study and read more books. Besides, my parents can wash clothes faster than me.
The director said, “I have a request. “When you go home today, go and clean your parents hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.”
The youth felt dejected. When he got back home, he asked his parents to let him clean their hands. His parents felt strange, and happy. With mixed feelings, they showed their hands to their son.
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The youth cleaned their hands slowly. He shed tears as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his parents hands were much wrinkled, and there were so many bruises on their hands. Some bruises were so painful that they winced when he touched them.
This was the first time the youth realized that it was these pairs of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fees. The bruises in the hands were the price that the parents had to pay for his education, his school activities and his future.
After cleaning his parents hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for them. That night, parents and son talked for a very long time. Next morning, the youth went to the director’s office. The Director noticed the tears in the youth’s eyes, when he asked:
“Can you tell me what you did and learned yesterday in your house?”
The youth answered, “I cleaned my parents hand, and also washed all the remaining clothes’! I now know what appreciation is. Without my parents, I would not be who I am today. By helping my parents yesterday, I realized how difficult and tough it would have been for me to get through school on my own. I have come to appreciate the importance and value of helping one’s family.
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The director said, “This is what I am looking for in a manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life.”
“You are hired.”
A child who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop an “entitlement mentality” and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent’s efforts. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying our children instead?
You can let your child live in a big house, eat a good meal, watch on a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them partake in it.
After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters.
It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in the right way. Let them understand, that no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow grey, same as the parents of that young man.
The most important thing is for your child to learn how to appreciate the efforts of others, and experience the difficulties of hard labour, and learn the ability to work with others to get things done.
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