One young academically excellent person went for an interview for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the first interview; but in that company, the director did the last interview and made the last decision.

The director discovered from the CV, that the youth’s academic result was excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never was there a year he did not score well.

The director asked, “Did you obtain any scholarship in school?”

And the youth answered, “No”.

The director asked, “Did your father pay your school fees?”

The youth answered, “My father passed away when I was one year old and it was my mother who paid my school fees.”

The director asked, “Where did your mother work?”

The youth answered, “My mother worked as cloth cleaner.”

The director requested the youth to show his hands and the youth showed a pair of hands that was smooth and perfect to the director. The director asked, “Did you ever help your mother wash clothes before?”

The youth answered, “Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother could wash clothes faster than I could.”

The director said, “I have a request, when you go back today, go and help to clean your mother’s hand, and then see me tomorrow morning.”

The youth felt that the chance of landing the job was high and when he went back, he happily wanted to clean his mother’s hands. His mother felt strange. With happiness mixed with fear, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother’s hands slowly and his tears fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother’s hands were so wrinkled, and that there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that she shuddered when her hands were cleaned with water.

This is the first time that the youth realized and experienced that it is this pair of hands that washed the clothes every day to earn him the school fees, and that the bruises in the mother’s hand were the price that the mother paid for his graduation and academic excellence and probably his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother’s hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother. That night, the mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director’s office. The director noticed the tear in the youth’s eye and asked: “Can you tell what you did and learnt yesterday in your house?”

The youth answered, “I cleaned my mother’s hands and also finished washing all the remaining clothes.”

The director asked, “Please tell me what you felt.”

The youth said: “Number 1: I know what appreciation is now. Without my mother, I would not be successful today. Number 2: Now I know how to work together with my mother. Only now do I realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3: I know the importance and value of family relationship.”

The director said, “This is what I am asking, I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the suffering of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life to be my manager. You are hired.”

Lesson for Parents and Elders:

A child, who has been protected, pampered and habitually given whatever he needs, develops “entitlement mentality” and always puts himself first. He is ignorant of his parents’ efforts. When he starts work, he assumes every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the suffering of his employees and always blame others. These kinds of people, may / will achieve good results and may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel a sense of achievement or satisfaction.

If we happen to be this kind of (protective) parent, this is the time to think on the following lines:

– Whether we love our kids or destroy them.

– We can let our kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn to play the piano, watch a big screen TV, but when we are cutting grass, we need to let them experience it also.

– After a meal, let them wash their plate and bowl together with their brothers and sisters.

– It is not because we do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because we want to love and show them the correct way that there is dignity in labour.

– We want them to understand that no matter how rich their parents are, one day they will grow old, become weak, have gray hair and wrinkles all over and may not be able to take care of themselves.

The most important thing is for our kids to learn how to appreciate, experience and learn the effort and ability needed to work with others to get things done.

They should also value and appreciate what the parents have done for them and love them for who they are and take care of them!