One hot summer day, a hungry fox was walking through the forest, looking for something to eat. His stomach growled as he searched everywhere for food.
Suddenly, he spotted something wonderful—a bunch of ripe, juicy grapes hanging from a vine high on a tree branch. The grapes were purple and plump, glistening in the sunlight.
"Mmm, those look delicious!" said the fox, licking his lips. "Exactly what I need on this hot day!"
He backed up a few steps, then ran and jumped as high as he could. But the grapes were too high. He missed them by quite a distance.
The fox tried again. He took a longer running start and jumped even higher. But still, he couldn't reach them.
He tried jumping from different angles. He tried climbing the tree. He tried everything he could think of, but the grapes remained just out of reach.
After many attempts, the fox was exhausted and hot. He sat down and looked up at the grapes one more time.
"You know what?" he said, walking away with his nose in the air. "Those grapes are probably sour anyway. I wouldn't want them even if I could reach them!"
The fox went away still hungry, but he pretended he didn't want the grapes anymore.
**Moral Lesson:** It's easy to pretend we don't want what we cannot have. Be honest with yourself instead of making excuses.
What This Story Teaches
Be honest with yourself. Don't dismiss what you want just because it's hard to reach.
Questions to Discuss
- What choice did the main character make? Was it easy or hard?
- What happened because of that choice?
- What would you do if you were in the same situation?
- What is one small way you can practice this lesson today?