“The Job Interview”
This is a great story!

A young man went to seek an important position at a large printing company. He passed the initial interview and was going to meet the Director for the final interview.

The Director looking at his resume’ and seeing how qualified he was for the position asked, “Did you received a scholarship for school?”

The young man replied, “No, I haven’t Sir.”

“Did your father pay for your college?” he then asked.

“Yes he did Sir” he replied.

“Where does your father work?” was the Director’s next question.

“My father is a Blacksmith Sir” the boy said without hesitating.

“Show me your hands” the Director said.

The young man slowly raised his hands as the Director carefully looked at them.

“Your hands are very clean and soft young man. Have you ever helped your father at work?” he asked as he looked back into his eyes.

“Never Sir; my father always wanted me to study and read more books. Besides, he doesn’t need any help.”

The Director then said, “I have a request for you which you may not understand. When you go home today, go wash the hands of your father and then come see me tomorrow morning.”

The young man not quite understanding the request but felt good about the meeting. He must have a good chance at getting the job or the Director would not want to be seeing him again.

Later in the day he returned to his home and greeted his father as he came in the front door. “Hi Dad, this is going to sound strange, but can I wash your hands before dinner?”

His father looked down at his dirty hands puzzled and then back up to his son. “Well now’s as good a time as any!” not quite understanding what got into his son.

Feeling a little silly, they both walked into the bathroom to the sink. As the young man washed his father’s hands, he noticed for the first time how wrinkled they were and how many bruises and scars he had! Some of the bruises were so painful that his father shuddered when the skin was touched.

This was the first time that the young man recognized what it meant for this pair of hands to work every day. These hands were what paid for his education. The bruises on the hands were the price his Dad had to pay for the young man’s future!

After cleaning his father’s hands the young man stood in silence. He slowly left the bathroom and then began to clean up the garage his Dad asked him to clean with him last week. He no longer wanted to put it off, and he no longer wanted his Dad’s help realizing how hard he had already worked!

The young man spent all night with his Dad after dinner and he learned things about him that he never knew. It was one of the best nights of his life and he hated to go to bed.

The next morning, the young man rushed to the office to meet with the Director. The Director noticed the tears in his eyes and knew he had done what he asked.

“Good morning young man,” he said as he approached. “Can you tell me what you did and what you learned yesterday?”

The young man quickly replied with excitement, “I washed my father’s hands Sir and when I finished I then cleaned the garage he has been after me about! Best of all, I spent all night talking to my Dad and it was the best night I ever had!”

Taking a deep breath, he continued. “I never knew how hard my Dad worked for me and I realized that I would not be who I am today if it wasn’t for him! I promised myself that I will never take him for granted again and that I will do whatever I can to help him since he has helped me more than he will ever know!”

The Director looked into the young man’s teary eyes with a big smile and said, “That is what I look for in my people! I want to hire someone who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the hardship of others, and a person who is willing to get dirty to help others! You are hired young man!”

Moral of the story: A child who has been coddled, protected and usually given everything they want develops a “Me” mentality and will always put themselves first, ignoring the efforts of others. If we are this type of protective parent, are we really showing love or are we destroying our children’s future and holding them back? You can give your child a big house, good food, computer classes, and watch television on a big screen TV. But when you’re washing the floor or painting a wall, please let your kids experience that too. Let them help you wash the dishes with their brothers and sisters or let them help you do a load of laundry. It is not because you can’t do it, it’s because you love them!