Why Do You Work So Hard?

By Pinyo, on October 20, 2007

Occasionally, I like to share some of the stories that floating around the Net and email systems with my blog readers. This is a great story that my wife sent me (may be it’s a hint).

50 dollars bills

Photo from BigFoto

The story is about a boy and his dad.

“Daddy, may I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, sure, what it is?” replied the man.

“Daddy, how much do you make an hour?”

“That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” the man angrily said.

“I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour.”

“If you must know, I make $50 an hour.”

“Oh,” the little boy replied, with his head down. “Daddy, may I please borrow $25?”

The father was furious,

“If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don’t work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.”

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25 and he really didn’t ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.

“Are you asleep, son?” he asked.

“No daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy.

“I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man. “It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here’s the $25 you asked for.”

The little boy sat straight up, smiling.

“Oh, thank you daddy!,” he yelled.

Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

“Why do you want more money if you already have some?” the father grumbled.

“Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied. “Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love. If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family and friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

I hope you enjoyed this story.

This article was featured in:

The Carnival of Money Stories #32 hosted by The Baglady. For more information please visit the Carnival of Money Stories.

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Pinyo is the brain behind Moolanomy personal finance blog and a few other web sites. If you like this article, please subscribe for free daily email updates.

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15 Comments

Mrs. Micah
October 20, 2007, 7:42

I was fortunate this way. My dad made it a priority to have dinner with us, even if that meant going back to work around 8pm. I only began to realize how abnormal that is as I’ve gotten older.
Guy
October 20, 2007, 8:19

That’s a great story. Thanks a lot, Pinyo!
Pinyo
October 20, 2007, 9:30

@Mrs Micah – the great thing about it was that you dad made it a priority to spend time with you. That’s a real sacrifice.

@Guy – thank you and welcome to Moolanomy.
Dawn
October 20, 2007, 18:04

The story you illustrated is the story of my hubby’s childhood but the opposite of my own. My husband struggled to get his dad’s approval for much of our own son’s childhood but eventually he realigned his priorities and developed strong relationships with his boys. Long story short … kids grow up so fast … work to live when they are young … not live to work.
Tyler
October 20, 2007, 18:51

Excellent story! Money does not correlate directly with happiness, but family does.

P.S. I wish I made $50 an hour, yeppers.
Brip Blap
October 20, 2007, 19:47

Great story, and that is exactly the way I’ve approached my life since my son was born – work is #2.
Pinyo
October 20, 2007, 20:19

Welcome to Moolanomy Dawn and Tyler — glad to have you here.

@Dawn – “work to live…not live to work,” I like that!

@Tyler – Wish I can make $50 an hour too.

@Brip Blap – Hey, it’s been a while! I also re-prioritized once I got married. I am glad you were able to do the same.
shadox
October 21, 2007, 18:49

Excellent story. Bet’cha it’s not real though (not that that matters).
Patrick
October 22, 2007, 3:39

Nice story. There are many more important things than money.
Pinyo
October 22, 2007, 14:41

@shadox – I agree, but it’s still a great story.

@Patrick – I definitely agree with that.
FourPillars
October 24, 2007, 20:34

Wow, talk about a guilt-trip story!

Anyways, I spend a lot of time with my son so unfortunately I won’t be able to make extra $$ selling time to family members.

Mike
Pinyo
October 25, 2007, 6:02

@FourPillars – Welcome to Moolanomy. I offered my wife undivided attention for $50 an hour, but that didn’t go over too well.
Debt Reduction
November 10, 2007, 12:28

WOW! That is touching. I work all the time. I’ve been wanting to slow down….

Thanks for the reminder that I need to slow down a littel.
Make Friends, Earn Money
May 18, 2008, 3:34

There is always a balance to be had between working hard and spending time with family. However I have never heard anyone towards the end of their life say “I wish I’d spent more time in the office”
mary jane villarin
November 20, 2008, 1:10

thanks….the great story….with hard working anything is impossible….

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