We often underestimate the intelligence of kids. We tend to second guess what is going on in their mind.
It is a common practice to associate words like cute, sweet and even smart to an extent with kids. Very rarely do we get to see people calling kids as being sensitive and mature.
We ignore their compassion saying, he/she is just a child, once they would grow up, they would understand the intricacies of the world.
Amidst such theories floating around us, we bring to you a story about a 6 year old brother and her sister, where the boy showed immense amount of maturity. Was it something beyond his age?
Bonding between a brother and sister
There is always a beautiful bond between a brother and sister. This tale is not just about this, it is about a brother’s maturity which would melt down even the hardest heart in the world
A 6-year-old boy was walking through the market with his little sister who was busy checking out the market.
After much strolling the little girl saw a shop and stood there, suddenly the boy who was heading ahead saw that his little sister was not with him and he saw her lagging behind.
He stopped and saw what’s holding her attention and there he saw a toy shop where his sister was watching something keenly.
She was interested in a toy
The brother saw a want of the toy in her sister’s cute little eyes and asked her, “Do you want something?”
The sister who was staring at the store, pointed at the doll. The boy looked over it and held her like a responsible brother and took her inside the shop and took the doll and gave it to her. The girl looked over her brother and smiled at him, she was delighted.
Shopkeeper’s point of view
The shopkeeper who was noticing all of this was quite amused by everything which was going on. He was quite impressed with the behaviour of this 6-year-old boy and took a note of his maturity.
The brother who was excited to see his sister happy, came to the counter and asked the shopkeeper, “What is the cost of this doll, Sir? !”
The shopkeeper who was watching this was a good man himself and he knew the harsh reality of life. At the same time he was enjoying their camaraderie. The shopkeeper paused before replying, “Well, What can you pay?”
The boy didn’t have money, he had something else
The boy searched for his pocket almost immediately after the shopkeeper said that statement. He was looking for some money but he didn’t have it so he searched the other pocket and there he had some seashells which he had collected from the seashore. He gave all the collected seashells to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper saw this and then started counting the shells as if it were some currency. After counting them all, he looked over to the boy, that look made the boy tensed and he asked him, “Is it less, Sir?” The shopkeeper saw tension engulfing the boy and said, “No, No… These are more than the cost. So I will return the remaining.”
No sooner did he say this, he returned all the shells except for the 4 which he chose to keep. The brother looked visibly happy and went out with his little baby sister.
The big reveal
After the boy and his sister left the store, the servant who was watching all of this came to his master and asked him, “Sir! You gave away such a costly doll just for 4 shells ???”
The shopkeeper who was smiling looked over to his servant and replied, “Well, for us these are mere shells. But for that boy, these shells are very precious. And at this age, he does not understand what money is, but when he will grow up, he definitely will. And when he would remember that he purchased a doll with shells instead of money, he will remember me and think that the world is full of good people.
It will help him develop a positive attitude and he too, in turn, will feel motivated to be good.”
So now you know that maturity just comes naturally, and it is something which cant be forced, owing to age or societal pressure. The boy didn’t have money but had the courage to buy something for his sister with whatever little he had shows his sensitive and caring side. There is no doubt that he displayed exemplary matureness in dealing with the situation.
While the generous shopkeeper did his bit to make the boy and his sister happy. This ability to foresee future and believe that a good action would indefinitely lead to good people, is absolutely praiseworthy.
