A Ruble
There was a young boy who enjoyed the finer things in life such as lounging around the room aimlessly for most of the day, then a nice midday nap.
Growing old and weak from a lifetime of hard labor, his father asked him to go find work so that he can support himself. Reluctantly, the young boy started to pack his stuff and search for work. But, his mom grabbed him before he could leave and shared an interesting plan with him. Taking some money from the family's stash, she hand him 1 ruble (worth=1 day's work) and told him to stay home. At the end of the day, the boy went to his father and showed him the money he had "earned" that day. Taking the ruble from his son, the father threw it into the fireplace. Standing back, the son did not move an inch as he watched the money burn; the money that was really his father's money.
The next day, the same thing happened. The father asked him to go find work so that he can make his own money. Reluctantly, the young boy started to pack his stuff and search for work. But, his mom grabbed him before he could leave and shared an interesting plan with him. Taking some money from the family's stash, she hand him 1 ruble (worth=1 day's work) and told him to stay home. At the end of the day, the boy went to his father and showed him the money he had "earned" that day. Taking the ruble from his son, the father threw it into the fireplace a second time the same as he did previously. Again, the son did not move an inch as he watched the money burn; the money that was really his father's money.
On the third day, the father again asked him to go find work so that he can make his own money. The son went to his mother expecting her to give him a ruble just as she had done before. This time however, his mother said, "Well son, this time go and work for your own money because our plan to trick your father has failed."
And so the son went off in search of work. He was gone one day. Then two days. A whole week had gone when he finally returned home. He came up to his father and showed him the money that he had earned during that week: 1 whole ruble in coins. And just as he had done before, the father threw all his son's coins into the fireplace. But, this time the son could not bear to watch his hard-earned money burn in the fire. So he quickly put out the fire with a bucket of water and searched in the warm ashes until he found every last coin. By this time, dark, black ash had covered his hands, face and clothes. He did not care because he had collected all his coins. Turning around to his father, he was upset and confused why his father would try to destroy his hard-earned money. Explaining to his parents how hard he had worked for each coin: taking orders in a restaurant for 30, cleaning after the pigs in a farm for 25 coins, mopping floors in a store for 15 coins, fixing broken chairs for 35 coins and many more arduous tasks. Listening quietly until his son was finished, the father spoke and said, "Before you did not value my labor when you watched my money burn away. But I see that now, you have learned the value of hard labor. I am proud of you, son."
From that day on, the son worked to earn his own money and respected his father for all the things he had done and given up in order to make a home for their family.