A young man applied for a job at a large printing company. He
passed the first interview and was going to meet the director for the final
interview. The director saw his resume and it was excellent.
At the interview, the
director asked, ‘have you received a scholarship for school?’
The young man replied, ‘no’.
‘Was it your father who paid for your studies?’ asked the
director.
‘Yes,’ replied the young man.
‘Where does your father work?’ asked the director.
‘My father is a Blacksmith,’ replied the young man. The
director asked the young man to show him his hands. He showed a pair of soft
and perfect hands.
‘Have you ever helped your parents at their job?’ asked the
director.
The young man said, ‘never, my parents always wanted me to study and
read more books. Besides, he can do the job better than me.’
The director responded,’ I have a request- when you go home
today….go wash your father’s hands and then come to see me tomorrow morning.’
As the young man felt his chances of getting the job were
high, he decided to agree with him. When he returned home to his house, he
asked his father if he would allow him to wash his hands. His father felt
strange yet happy and showed his hands to his son. His son washed his hands
slowly. It was his first time that he noticed that his father’s hands were
wrinkled and had many scars. Some bruises were so painful that his skin
shuddered when he touched them.
This was the first time his son recognized what it meant for
this pair of hands to work every day…to be able to pay for his studies. The bruises
on the hands were the price that his father paid for his son’s education…his
school activities and his future.
After cleaning his father’s hands, the young man stood in silence and began to tidy and clean up the
workshop. That night, the father and son talked for a long time.
The next morning, the young man returned to the director’s
office. The director noticed the tears in the eyes of the young as he asked: ‘Can
you tell me what you did and what you learned yesterday at your house?’
The young man replied: ‘I washed my father’s hands and when I
finished I stayed and cleaned his workshop. Now I appreciate and recognize that
without my parents, I would not be who I am today. By helping my father, I now
realize how difficult and hard it is to do something on my own. I have come to appreciate
the importance and the value in helping the family.’
The director said, ‘this is what I look for in my people. I want
to hire someone who can appreciate the help of others…a person who knows the
hardship of others to do things…and a person who does not put money as their
only goal in life”. ‘You are hired!’
Children who always get what they want, develop ‘I have the right’ mentality…and always put themselves first, ignoring the efforts of
their parents. If we are this type of protective parent are we really showing
love…or are we destroying our children?
These type of parents may feel like they are showing love to
their children but they are actually destroying them. It’s great to give your
children a great life, but when you’re washing the floor…or painting the wall,
please let the experience that too. After eating, have them wash the dishes
with their brothers and sisters.
The most important thing is that your children learn to
appreciate your efforts…to experience the difficulties and to learn the ability
to work with others to get things done.
Thank You!
