This is my favorite fable from Aesop. A boy returned home one day with a book that he had stolen from a classmate. Instead of scolding and punishing her son, the mother asked him if anyone had seen him take it. When her son said no, she complimented him. She sold the book. Another time he returned with a nice cloak that he had stolen. Again, she only asked if he was unseen. She sold the cloak. Over the years he continued to steal and his mother never punished him. Naturally, he grew up to be a thief. Finally, he was caught and sentenced to death. He was being led to the place of hanging and a crowd had gathered to jeer at him. One person in the crowd was crying. It was his mother. He asked to be allowed to say something to her and his guards said it would be okay. He approached his mother and said he wanted to whisper something to her. Bending over, he proceeded to bite her ear off. The crowd could not believe how low he had sunk, but he hushed them by saying: “If it was not for her, I would not be here today. When I brought home stolen things, she did not punish me.” The moral: spare the rod, raise the thief.
0 Comments