There once was a little boy who had a very bad temper.
His father decided to hand him a bag of nails and said that every time the boy lost his temper, he had to hammer a nail into the fence.
On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into the fence. The boy gradually began to control his temper. Over the next few weeks, the number of nails he hammered into the fence slowly decreased. He discovered it was easier to control his temper than to hammer those nails into the fence.
Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father the good news. His father then suggested that he pull out a nail each day he kept his temper under control.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.
“You have done well, my son. However, look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.”
Moral of the story: Control your anger. Don’t say things to people in the heat of the moment. You may later regret what you said.
A) Vocabulary: Please make your own sentences with the following words.
Temper – easily angered
Control – to keep within limits
Decrease – to make or become smaller
Suggest – to propose as an idea or possibility
Scar – a lasting injury from a bad experience
B) Poem: To read.
“The Power of a Smile
The power of a gun can kill.
And the power of fire can burn.
The power of wind can chill.
And the power of a mind can learn.
The power of anger can rage
Inside until it tears you apart
But the power of a smile
Can heal a frozen heart.”
Qs: Can you write a 4 line poem on Anger?
C) There are a couple of other emotions that are similar to being angry.
Here are a few examples:
- Frustrated.
“I’m so frustrated.”
“It’s so frustrating working with him.”
“I was so frustrated; I stopped caring about the outcome.”
“He gets frustrated pretty easily.”
“It’s easy to get frustrated when things are not fair. - Disappointed.
“I’m not really mad, just a little disappointed.”
“That really hurt me. I’m so disappointed.“
Qs: Please name 3 negative emotions, and 3 positive emotions. Make sentences with the same.
Audio courtesy Tara Kriplani: