Stories with Morals for Kids

Once there lived a widow and her daughter. They were very poor and just managed to get by. The only way they survived was their hens whose eggs they sold in the market. The old woman would go into the forest and pick strawberries out of which they made gruel to eat.

One day the mother fell ill. “You must go to the forest by yourself today,” said the woman to her daughter. And so the girl set off with a basket for strawberries, picking them until her basket was full. She then sat down for her lunch. Just as she was about to start eating, an old woman came hobbling up. She had an old pot in her hand and she looked like a beggar.

She asked “My dear child, do you have anything to give to an old, hungry woman?” The kind-hearted girl at once handed her bread to the old woman. The old woman ate the bread gratefully. When she finished, she gave the girl a pot and said, “This pot will cook
the most delicious gruel you ever ate. You have to say, “Cook, Pot”, and it will start cooking. It will stop cooking when you say “Stop, Pot”.

The overjoyed girl thanked the old woman profusely and ran home to her mother. She shouted “Mother, look! We shall never go hungry ever again!” and she narrated the whole story. Her mother was very happy. They set the pot on the table and girl said, “Cook Pot”.
The pot started to cook the most delicious-looking gruel. When it reached the brim she said, “Stop, Pot” and it stopped cooking at once. The two of them sat down to a hearty meal and enjoyed every spoonful that they ate. At last they were satisfied.

Next morning, after breakfast the girl said, “Mother, I shall now go to the market to sell the eggs.” The girl went to town and was delayed in the market. Her mother was waiting and thought, “I shall die of hunger. Perhaps I should try out the pot myself. She placed the pot on table and said,” Cook, Pot”. The pot merrily started cooking. The pot cooked and cooked so much gruel that it overflowed and ran all over the table. The woman cried, “Do not cook, Do not cook, Stop!” But these were not the right words and so the pot cooked on and on!

Soon the whole kitchen was flooded with gruel. And still the pot cooked while the gruel flowed outside the house and into the streets. Passersby were shocked. The gruel now flowed down the streets and into shops and houses. People struggled to climb up to their top floors. Children enjoyed eating gruel in their small cups.

The widow was about to faint by now. It was her fault.

When the girl came back she struggled through the streets full of gruel, using a stick to reach her home. And she just went up to the pot and told,”Stop, Pot” and pot stopped cooking instantly. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

The poor girl’s mother learnt not to be greedy. They both then helped the poor every day by feeding them the most delicious gruel!

The story shows that we all have good qualities. If we use them only for the improvement of our own lives, we forget the true purpose of life. Then the process of our own happiness becomes a burden to us, as well as to the people around us.

So, we should all help the poor and the needy with the feeling that ‘I have been put into this situation because God believes that I am capable of handling it’.

Let me know if you like these stories. I read this story in Art of Living's magazine Rishimukh. It was nice to read this story again. I remembered my old school days. Hope you also liked this story, I am planning to post some more stories soon :)