We often expect immediate results from our actions in today's materialistic world. There are times, however, when we continue with our actions without expecting any tangible results. Since my son was a toddler, I've been telling him bedtime stories. Over the past six years, he has requested a story about life and love every night. In order to satisfy his curiosity, I devote a great deal of time to gathering knowledge from various sources, including children's books, TV shows, the internet, YouTube, and Facebook. Sometimes he loves the stories, and other times he falls asleep before they end, so I repeat them the next night.
I told him a story about Lord Buddha one night:
Lord Buddha was speaking to a group of people in the forest where he lived one day. It was usual for people to come from far and wide to listen to his wise words.
A furious businessman was among the crowd that morning. The man was angry because his family spent hours listening to Buddha, whom he thought was a waste of time. Rather than sitting with a person whose eyes were always closed, the businessman felt his family should be more productive. He confronted Buddha out of frustration.
He shouted angrily at Buddha. He hurled insult after insult at Buddha, but he remained unruffled, simply smiling in response. The businessman became even more enraged, so he continued shouting.
Buddha asked calmly, "Have you finished, my son?"
A wary businessman asked, "Why do you smile when I've insulted you and shouted at you?"
The Buddha replied, "What happens if you don't accept a gift?"
"It stays with the giver," replied the businessman.
Buddha agreed. "The gift of harsh words you gave me remains with you since I refused to accept it."
The businessman felt ashamed after realizing his mistake. He apologized to Buddha and understood why his family and others wanted to hear him speak. People present also learned a valuable lesson: if someone says something unpleasant, it's often best just to ignore it.
The impact of this story on my child was far greater than I had anticipated. He had a depressed look on his face when he returned from school yesterday. As always, I greeted him with a smile and asked about his day. As he hesitated, he told me that he had received an A+ in Hindi literature, but that one of his teachers had humiliated him over a minor error. When the teacher discovered that he brought his practice drawing book instead of his regular class book, she scolded him harshly, even saying, "It's shameful."
This was my son's first mistake, so he was deeply embarrassed. The harsh treatment he received from his teacher was unexpected. As he shared the incident with me, I felt a pang of embarrassment as well. After lunch, we went for a nap to try to distract him from it. However, I noticed he was restless, so I tried to lighten the mood by telling a funny story. As a surprise, he asked me to tell the Buddha story again.
He listened intently as I repeated the story. At the end, he gently reminded the teacher not to let his harsh words affect him, and to follow Buddha's example. After seeing how my little boy had matured through adversity, my heart swelled with pride. It was a touching reminder of the impact bedtime stories can have on a child's mental and emotional development.
Please feel free to contact me for any parenting advice.
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