Through the kitchen window, a farmer’s wife saw her son coming home from school.
The boy looked upset. As he crossed the field, he kicked a pig that happened to be standing nearby. A little farther on, he kicked a cow. Then he angrily shoved open the farm gate and stomped toward the house.
His mother met him at the door.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I had a terrible day,” the boy replied. “Nothing went right.”
His mother listened patiently and then said, “Come with me.”
She led him back outside and pointed toward the animals.
“Did the pig do anything to deserve being kicked?”
The boy shook his head.
“And what about the cow?”
“No,” he admitted.
His mother smiled gently. “When we let our anger control us, we often hurt those who did nothing wrong.”
The boy looked down, feeling embarrassed.
He walked over to the pig and gently patted its head. Then he went to the cow and gave it some fresh hay.
The animals quickly forgot about the incident.
That evening, the boy felt much better.
Before dinner, his father asked what he had learned that day.
The boy smiled and replied, “Just because someone makes me angry doesn’t mean I should pass that anger on to others.”
His parents nodded proudly.
Sometimes the best lesson isn’t learned at school—it is learned at home.
