A young man and his old father worked their farm together with no ill-feeling or complaint.

When the young man took it into his head to marry, life only improved (there finally being a proper cook about the place).

It wasn’t until a full year after the marriage, at the birth of a little baby boy, that the young man began to show a change in character; for now he, full and sudden, felt the heaviness of fatherhood fall on him.

That weight of responsibility caused him to become more and more critical of his own father, who was only growing less strong and able to help with necessary work.

Finally, the young man ordered his sweet wife to fetch a blanket and send it with the old man to the poorhouse.

In those days, blankets were often woven double long, in order that they might be doubled on the bed for extra warmth.

When the young man saw the good work that his wife had made, it went to his heart to send the whole thing off with a worthless old man, and he ordered her to cut it in half.

“Half a blanket will be enough for him.”

Young Mary, who disapproved of the whole event began to argue,

When up from the cradle by the fire piped the voice of the tiny infant.

“Mother,” he chirruped, “You do as Father says. And lay that other half safely by, so I know where it is when the time comes to pack my father off to the poorhouse.”

You can imagine that changed the young father’s outlook pretty quickly, and he realized the old man still had at least one job left to his old age.

He would help his grandson learn to care for his elders.

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One other submission today:

A tale from Hindu mythology called The Wasted Sermon