Short Stories » The Wooden Bowl

The Wooden Bowl

It was a beautiful family of 5. The family had a weak and old man, a man and a wife, and two children, a boy and a girl. The old man was the head of the family and he had only one son, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

The family had a lot of fun and enjoyed the life at its fullest. As a family, all the five used to have dinner together, every day.

As days passed by, the health of the old man gradually weakened. His vision became very poor, he wasn’t able to walk without support and his hands and legs started trembling.

One day, while serving dinner, the old man whose hands and legs shivered and who couldn’t see properly, spilt the food on the table. With shaky hands he wasn’t able to eat properly, the food dropped on the table. He let the glass of milk fall on the table cloth.

His son and daughter-in-law were completely annoyed, as he messed up the dinner. It was repeated the next day as the old man couldn’t help himself.

The son was irritated and his wife told, ‘I can’t bear this anymore. He spoils the dinner time. We should do something.’ The son agreed.

They set up a new table and chair in the corner of the hall and made him sit there to have food. The old man wasn’t able to hold the plate or glass, and he broke a few pieces of utensils. His son gave the old man a wooden bowl as it wouldn’t break.

While the rest of the family seemed to enjoy the meal time, the old man was in tears as he was having his food alone. The old man used to recollect the happy memories of his family and hardly tolerated his current situation.

The days passed by and the old man died calmly. After funeral, they were cleaning the home. The five year old boy uttered a few words to his elder sister, and the little girl said yes.

They were searching for something and it was noticed by their parent. The man asked the children ‘What are you searching for?’ The girl replied, ‘The wooden bowl which the grandpa used to have food!’

He asked, ‘But why?’

The woman told, ‘They would preserve it in memory of their grandpa!’

The children got the bowl!

The boy asked his father, ‘Dad can you buy one more bowl like this?’

Surprised by the question, he asked ‘why son?’

The girl replied, ‘see we have only one bowl. If you and momma get old, how will we feed you both with one bowl? So I asked you to buy another one for momma!’

The elders realized their mistake, but couldn’t get the forgiveness from the deceased old man!

Our acts follow us!

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The Wooden Bowl - Takeaway for Class 1,2,3

Always treat others with kindness and respect, especially our elders, because everyone deserves love and care.

The Wooden Bowl - Takeaway for Class 4,5,6

Respect and care for all family members, especially the elderly, because they teach us valuable lessons about kindness and compassion.

The Wooden Bowl - Takeaway for Class 7,8,9

Treat others, especially your family, with kindness and respect, as your actions today shape how you'll be treated in the future.

3 Fun Facts

• The story is about a little boy named Johnny who learns an important lesson about kindness and respect from observing how his parents treat his grandfather.
• Johnny’s grandfather, who lives with the family, is given a wooden bowl to eat from after he accidentally breaks a dish, which makes Johnny feel sad.
• The story shows how Johnny's simple act of building a wooden trough for his parents to eat from when they are old changes their hearts and makes them realize the importance of treating all family members with love and care.

Quiz for Class 1,2,3

• What did the old man have to eat his food from because he sometimes dropped it on the table?
• How did the little boy teach his parents a lesson about how they treated his grandpa?
• What changed in the way the man and woman treated the grandpa after the little boy's actions?

Quiz for Class 4,5,6

• Why did the old man's son and daughter-in-law decide to make him eat in a wooden bowl?
• How did the old man's grandson change the behavior of his parents towards the grandfather?
• What lesson did the family learn by the end of the story?

Quiz for Class 7,8,9

• How did the old man’s family react to his clumsiness during mealtime, and what did they decide to do about it?
• What lesson did the young boy's actions teach his parents when they saw him working with small pieces of wood?
• How did the attitude of the old man's son and daughter-in-law change by the end of the story, and what was the reason behind this change?