The old man was looking out the window, when a crow suddenly landed on the other side of the glass. He looked at his son and asked, “What is that, my son?”
The son promptly explained that it was a crow.
After several minutes, the father asked the same thing again.
Again, his son replied, “I just told you, dad, it’s a crow.”
For the third time, the father asked the same thing: “What is that?”
This time, the son screamed back, “I’ve told you so many times now, it’s a crow! Why are you asking me the same question again and again? What are you not understanding?”
After a time, the old man went to his room and withdrew a diary – one where he had written the story of his son’s life.
He took the book back to his son and asked him to real aloud from one of the first pages. Here’s what the dad had written:
“I sat on the sofa with my three-year-old son today. Suddenly, a crow landed by our window. My son asked eagerly, ‘What’s that?’ He asked the same question about twenty-three times. I gave him the same answer every time; that it was a crow. I hugged him every time he asked me. The questions did not annoy me, I only felt love for my innocent and curious child.”
Although the father hadn’t gotten angry when his son had asked him the same question 23 times, the son had grown irritated with his dad after just the third time of asking.
Why?
If you have old parents, make sure you always speak to them with the kindness and respect they deserve. Be thankful that your parents are still alive and you have the chance to see them – it’s a luxury so many of us take for granted, and one you can’t reclaim once you lose.
No matter how clever you may be, how many qualifications you boast, compassion comes from the heart. You should always think about those who provided and cared for you before you were who you are today. Keep in mind it was most probably your parents who did everything for you, with the sole aim of making you as good as you could possibly be.
No matter how your parents act when they’re old, be sure to treat them with respect. They deserve it. You are who you are now, because of them.
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