"The bruises in the hands were the price"

As years passes by, so did the month. Weeks came and were no more seen as things when different because the future was yet to come.

It was on a sunny day a young woman named Janet went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. 

She passed the initial interview and now would meet the director for the final interview. Young Janet was happy because of the positive result she got from the first interview.

The director discovered from her CV that Janet's academic achievements were excellent. He wondered, how did she went through her studies?

Then he asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" The youth answered "NO." I didn't.

Who paid your school fees? "My Parents," she replied, with a smile on her cute face.

"Where do they work?"They worked as clothes cleaners.” she replied, as the director looked directly in her eyes thinking she was not saying the truth.

The director requested the youth to please show her hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

"Have you ever helped your parents to wash the clothes?"Never, my parents always wanted me to study and read more books. Besides, my parents can wash clothes faster than me. She said.

The director said, "I have a request. Hmm! What may that be ? Janet asked. "When you go home today, go and clean your parents' hands, and then see me tomorrow morning." The director said.

The youth felt dejected. 

When she got back home, she asked her parents to let her clean their hands. 

Her parents felt strange and happy. With mixed feelings, they showed their hands to their daughter.

The youth cleaned their hands slowly. She shed tears as she did that. It was the first time she noticed that her parents' hands were much wrinkled, and there were so many bruises on their hands. Some bruises were so painful that they winced when she touched them. 

This was the first time the youth realized that it was these pairs of hands that washed the clothes every day to enable them to pay her school fees. 

The bruises in their hands were the price that her parents had to pay for her education, her school activities, and her future. Which she never knew a long time.

After cleaning her parents' hands, Janet quietly washed all the remaining clothes for them. Her parents were still wondering, what could make her do all this. But that was not an issue, they were happy to she their clever daughter helping them with work.

That night, parents and daughter talked for a very long time. The next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes when he asked: "Can you tell me what you did and learned yesterday in your house?" With a slow voice.

The youth answered, I cleaned my parents' hand, and also washed all the remaining clothes! "I now know what appreciation is. Without my parents, I would not be who I am today." Wow! The director clap his hands giving Janet a smile.

By helping my parents yesterday, I realized how difficult and tough it would have been for me to get through school on my own, some of my friends didn't had that opportunity. So I have come to appreciate the importance and value of helping one’s family.

The director said, "This is what I am looking for in a manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his/her only goal in life.” “You are hereby hired! The director, said.

Janet was so glad that she shared a tears of joy looking in the eyes of the director, saying thank you sir. You have not only hired me but you have showed me something that was missing in my mind and that is, appreciation. The director smiled and said, don't worry. We all are to learn some way, some how so we can teach the others that are yet to come and we are to obay as we give a listening ears.

A child who has been protected and habitually given whatever he/she wanted would develop an *"entitlement mentality"* and would always put himself/ herself first. He/she would be ignorant of his/her parent's efforts. Wich of course is bad because we don't knoweth what may come in the future.

If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love, or are we destroying our children instead? The answer is we are destroying our children with the too much good we do for them.

You can let your child live in a big house, eat a good meal, and watch on a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them partake in it. 

After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. That's fun in working together.

It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in the right way, share fun, know their weaknesses and tried to help them out.

Let them understand that no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow grey, same as the parents of young beautiful Janet.

The most important thing is for your child to learn how to appreciate the efforts of others, experience the difficulties of hard labor, and learn the ability to work with others to get things done. With that we will have a unique society where we will see the value in things that others do inorder to get things moving and not to destroy it. Beautiful Janet is now ready to work as to repay her parents, which she never knew the pains her parents went through for her to get that far.

It's all about the sacrifices we make to see positive things in our love ones life.