A Boy Who Needed a Reason to Study

Once, a woman brought an 11-year-old boy to see me. She said, “This son of mine doesn’t want to study. He keeps playing. Can you help me?”

I noticed that he had an intelligent look. So, I said to him, “When you grow up, you have to work, right?” He nodded. “So, what kind of work would you like to do?”

As he was thinking, I said, “You don’t have to tell me now. Go home and take your time to think about it. Then write it down on a piece of paper. If there’s more than one kind of work you’re interested in, that’s okay. But don’t write more than five, okay?” He said, “Okay.”

They came again the next week, and he had a piece of paper in his hand. I asked the mother if he showed it to her. She said no.

I said to him, “So, what have you written?” He handed me the piece of paper.

First on the list was “plumber”. I said, “Okay, honestly speaking, if you want to be a plumber, you don’t have to study a lot. But you do need to know some language, so that you can read labels and write bills. Also, of course you need to know some arithmetic. You understand?” He nodded.

While saying all that, I noticed that he was very attentive.

Next one was “pilot”. I said, “Now, if you want to be a pilot, it’s different. You need to be very good in English, mathematics, and science.” Again, he nodded.

In both times we met, I never asked him to study. I also never asked him to stop playing or play less. I only told him what he needed so that he could do what he himself wanted.

That was the last time we met, but I met the mother some months later. I asked her, “So, how’s your son?”

“Oh, now he studies.”