David got criticized

It was the day of the test results, David along with his parents had come to the school to know his marks. David in his last papers had scored average marks, so he and his parents were not expecting too much even for this paper. But to their surprise, David had received very poor marks. His parents were shocked to see David perform so poorly.

When they got back home, David’s mom asked him “David! Why are your scores so low this time? Didn’t you study properly for this exam?” David replied, “I did! I don’t know how I got such poor marks”. David’s father was very upset with him, he criticised David and said, “David, you didn’t study enough. I saw you playing games on your phone. When I asked you to keep your phone aside and study, you said that you were done with most of it”. His father further added in a vexed voice “David, if you will continue doing this, soon you might even fail your exams!” David was very disheartened by the criticism from his father. His eyes got watery and in frustration, he went to his room slamming the door. Seeing David’s attitude upon being criticised, his parents got very upset.

After some time, David’s mother went to his room. She saw him sitting saddened on his bed. She asked humbly, “Are you upset about what daddy told you?” He replied, “Dad thinks that I don’t study properly and that I will fail my exams”. His mom said that his father did not mean what David thought he did. She said, “Your father will never say something to degrade you, what he said was for your benefit. If you study appropriately,  then it is you who will receive good marks and praises from your family and friends.”

“Parents criticise their children only so that they can get better in life and do not do incorrect things,” his mother added. David understood this, and he apologised to both of his parents for his behavior. He promised to never behave in such a rude manner if he got criticised the next time. 

What did we learn from this story

Criticism can feel bad, but remember that if someone close to you criticises you, they only want you to get better. We should always be accepting of criticism, especially when it comes from our parents, teachers, or friend, and should never attach a negative connotation to it.