In the story, you will learn that to abolish misery from child’s future and crimes from the society, it entails effective parenting. The story of the boy involved, teaches every child that determination and hard work are keys to secure the future as parents teach their children how to think and not what to think.
The Story
Are your children ready to inherit you?
Written by Frank M. Gashumba (Uganda)
The only son of a certain wealthy man wanted to inherit the father’s business.
The old man gave him one condition to fulfill: “Earn 10,000 dollars, show me the money and my multi-million dollar business is yours”
Not long after, his son brought the money he had collected from his mother claiming he worked for it. His father who was relaxing by an oven collected the cash and threw it into the oven. The two watched the oven until the whole cash was burnt to ashes.
He told his son to simply go on and work for the money and bring it to him. The mother again gave him another $10, 000 and told the boy to wait for some time, so he could disguise and look worn out before seeing his father.
When he eventually met his father with the money, the old man was at the same spot close to the oven. The man took the cash again threw it into the oven, and again the two watched the $10,000 burnt to ashes. Then he told his son to go, work and save $10,000 and show him and the inheritance will all be his.
The boy was furious knowing that his father was determined and stringent with the condition of working and saving up $10,000 before he can access his inheritance.
The boy again met with his mother for advice. She was thinking of another option they can use to outsmart the old man, when he finally told his mother not to worry and that he will go out and work and save the money for his father.
The boy travelled to another town where he would be given an opportunity to do odd jobs because in their locality nobody would believe him, the only son of a wealthy man doing menial job?
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He spent years denying himself of food, pleasure, good accommodation, designer-wears and every good life accustomed to rich men’s’ children just to save up the money for his father.
When he eventually came back his mother hardly recognised her son, he looked old, thin and wretched.
With that desperate condition he quickly went to present the money to his father who incidentally was seating in the very place close to the dollar-burning oven. He gave his father the money he has saved with pains and hunger. The old man took the money and again threw it into the oven. The boy dived headlong into the fire and brought the money back and exclaimed, “father you can’t burn my sweat.” The father replied, “you absolutely worked for this very one son, nobody will stand looking, seeing his effort being burnt, as you have done in the previous ones your mother helped you.”
The old man feeling satisfied with his son’s last action, willed all his wealth to him.
Moral Lesson
1.People put value on things that cost them most.
2. Wealth gotten through easy way will soon end up in the oven.
3.Before handing over your business to your child, first hand over wisdom to him.
4. Like most of us with wonderful backgrounds, we often deny our children valuable experiences they need to succeed in life by too much pampering, saying “I don’t want them to experience what I experienced” forgetting that such conditions added up in making you what you are. Sometimes, create artificial scarcity to help harden your children up for tomorrow.
5.Don’t forget to share your story with your family as your children will need it someday to solve life’s challenges
6. Wisdom and good name is the best inheritance you can give to your children.
7. The billion dollar wealth handed over to your children without character and morals will end up in the hands of your servants and maids that possess them.
8. Success and wisdom are not taught in schools but in the streets, through hard work, dedication, courage, focus, determination, resilience, diligence, honesty, perseverance, character, etc. Knowledge is taught in schools.
