Ask our children:

1. Should we think of others or should we be selfish and worry only about ourselves?

2. How should we treat the one who does wrong to us?

Now tell them the story:

Once there was a puppy and a calf. They were the best of friends. They always played together and even had their meals together. One afternoon, as they were playing along a river, they saw a farm on the other side of the river full of juicy strawberries. They decided to quietly go over and enjoy some sweet strawberries.

The puppy climbed onto the calf’s back and they both happily crossed over the river. In no time the puppy filled its little tummy with strawberries and thereafter started barking. The calf tried to stop him saying, “I am not yet full. Please stop barking or else the farmer will come out and he will chase after us.” The puppy replied, “I cannot help myself. This is my way of showing that I have really enjoyed a meal.” He therefore continued to bark.

It was not long thereafter that the farmer came running out of his home with a stick in his hand. The puppy quickly ran and hid away whilst the poor calf took all the beating. With great pain, the calf dragged itself towards the river and began to cross it. The puppy immediately ran and jumped onto the calf’s back. When they reached the middle of the river, the calf began to lower itself into the water. The puppy cried out, “What are you doing? I am going to drown.” The calf replied, “No! This is my way of showing that I have not eaten well.”

The puppy pleaded and begged the calf to stop lowering itself any deeper into the water. Eventually, when the calf felt that the puppy had learnt its lesson, he raised himself and continued to move across the river. When they reached the other side, the puppy got down, thanked the calf for his kindness and promised never to hurt him again in future.

Lessons:

1. Never hurt those around us, for we do not know when we may need their help.

2. Be good to others even though they were bad to us.

3. We will only come to know who our true friends really are at the time of need.

4. We should never be selfish and worry only about ourselves.