All kids love fairy tales. But as they grow older, it’s time to teach them about life through short, wise stories we call parables. Many parents use this trick to explain to their children what life, love, friendship, and other core values really are.
So if your child ends up in a situation where they need help understanding how the world works, don’t overwhelm them with long, boring explanations they won’t understand. Instead, try creating a simple parable of your own. And if coming up with one feels challenging, AdmiGram.com has put together a few short and thoughtful parables that help explain the essential values of our lives.
Short and Wise Moral Parables for Children
The Parable of Love and the Watermelon
One day, a daughter showed up at her mother’s house in tears.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” the mother asked, inviting her daughter to sit at the small outdoor table.
“You see, Mom…” she began, wiping away tears, “I think I’ve stopped believing in love. I do love him, but sometimes he acts in a way that makes us argue.”
“Calm down,” the mother smiled and handed her a slice of freshly cut watermelon. She knew her daughter loved fresh watermelon more than anything.
“How about we enjoy your favorite treat first, and then we’ll talk?” she said, cutting it into slices.
When they were done eating, the now calmer daughter heard her mother ask:
“You still love watermelon, right?”
“Yes, Mom,” she answered, pushing the rinds aside.
“But you tossed out the rind and spat out the seeds, while enjoying only the sweet part, didn’t you?”
The daughter looked at her mother in confusion.
“Sweetheart, life is the same way. You need to learn to throw away the unnecessary parts, spit out the bitter seeds, and still love — enjoying the sweetness of the feeling. That’s when everything will work out.”
Moral: Love, like life, is never perfect.
Lesson: To find happiness in love, you must learn to overlook the small imperfections. But if the “watermelon” is rotten — sometimes you simply need to let it go.
The Parable of Optimism and the City Park
One gloomy fall afternoon, two longtime friends met by chance. As they walked by an old park, which had clearly seen better days, they reminisced about how they used to stroll there when it was still green and young.
“How unfair and cruel life is,” sighed one of them, pointing at the park.
“What do you mean?” asked the other.
“Well, just look at it,” she said, wrapping herself tighter in her coat. “When I walk past this park, all I see is what it has become. It’s sad and unfair. It makes me want to cry seeing these old, unwanted trees.”
“That’s funny,” her friend smiled and put an arm around her shoulders. “When I walk by this old park, I remember how green and beautiful it used to be. I remember how young and beautiful we were. To me, it’s a blessing to carry such warm memories into the fall of life. Those thoughts make me feel warm and even smile.”
Moral: Optimism doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It means choosing how to see what’s around you.
Lesson: When someone feels down, try to support them — at least with a kind word.
The Parable of Finding Your Place in Life (and an Ordinary Plumber)
A young man once set a firm goal for himself: to become wealthy and respected. He studied tirelessly at the best university in the city, then worked nonstop, trying almost everything he could. Yet he never reached the level he imagined for himself.
Eventually, he settled down and started doing the one thing he was genuinely good at: plumbing. One day he arrived at the home of a man whose social status the young man had always dreamed of achieving. With just a few quick movements, he fixed the leaking faucet and saved the apartment from flooding.
“How much do I owe you?” the well-groomed homeowner asked.
“Two hundred,” replied the plumber, packing up his tools.
“What? But it didn’t even take you a minute!” the man grumbled.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” the plumber smiled. “It took me almost my entire life.”
Moral: Finding your place in life can take a lifetime — and your true place may not be the one you dreamed of.
Lesson: Even if you’re not “reaching for the stars,” being at peace with who you are is the greatest success of all.
