Theme: Honesty

Sticker number 1

Claudio arrived from school and, happy, went to get a sticker for his album from his backpack.

Claudio wanted to complete the album and always asked Nilva, his mother, to buy a few packets of stickers at the newsstand. She bought whenever she could, but also encouraged Claudio to exchange them with his colleagues, as he already had many repeated stickers.

Nilva was always following and helping her son to get more stickers, because she knew how much he wanted to complete that album. That's why Nilva noticed her son's excitement and saw what he took from his backpack.

- Claudio, did you manage to exchange stickers today? - she asked.

-  Yes, I ´ve got one - Claudio replied inaudibly.

The mother noticed that Claudio's response was not as enthusiastic as she had expected. So, she continued to ask to better understand what was happening.

- Which sticker did you get?

Claudio quickly showed it to his mother and put it away again.

- Wait, let me get a better look - she said - It looks like it's very pretty, shiny.

Claudio, awkwardly, handed the sticker to Nilva.

- Son, it's the number one! Cool! Wow, glad you were able to exchange this one. In addition to being one of the most beautiful, it’s also rare. Who did you trade it with?

Claudio remained shy and replied quietly:

- With Gustavo.

Nilva didn't understand what was happening. Why was Claudio acting in a strange way? And suddenly she remembered that her son hadn't brought his repeated stickers to school that day.

- Wait a minute, Claudio! How could you have exchanged with Gustavo if you didn't take yours?

The boy was quiet, he looked nervous. But the mother insisted, and Claudio ended up telling her what had happened.

– Gustavo had this repeated sticker. And everyone wanted it. But he said he wouldn't trade with anyone. He had already pasted one on the album, but, as this sticker is very special, he wanted to keep this other one too. I found this very unfair.

The boy continued:

- He knew we wanted number one too, and even then, he only thought about him. So, I took it for myself while he wasn't looking.

- Son, but you acted very badly! We can't take other people's things! No way!

- But, Mom, you tell us not to be selfish. Gustavo acted badly. If he wasn't selfish, I wouldn't have to do this.

- Claudio, our commitment to act correctly is with God, who sees everything and knows everything that happens. Your behavior should not depend on the others’ behavior. Whether Gustavo acted wrong or not is his problem with God. We must take care that you do not act badly.

The mother also said:

- And there's something else, son. Did you know that everything we do comes back to us somehow? It’s the Law of God which is called the Law of Action and Reaction. Think carefully! Won't you be upset if someone takes something from you someday? Of course you will! So, you shouldn't do to others what you wouldn't want others to do to you.

Claudio felt very sad. He knew his mother was right. He remained silent, with his head down, and Nilva explained:

- My dear, you know you did wrong. The Laws of God are in our conscience, in our intimate. You knew so much you were wrong that you were too embarrassed to tell me, weren't you?

- Yes - said Claudio, almost crying - But now there's no other way. I can't come with the sticker, give it back to him and say that I stole it.

- Yes, you do! - encouraged the mother - Tomorrow, you take the sticker and talk to him. Tell him the whole truth: that you really wanted the sticker, but now you regret taking it and are returning it. And apologize! You made a mistake, son, you must have the humbleness to apologize. But the good thing is that this will be an experience that will help you not to make mistakes like that again.

Claudio didn't like the idea of ​​having to expose himself, admit he did that, apologize... Surely Gustavo would be very angry with him. But Claudio didn't feel good at all when he thought about what he'd done.

So, the other day, he went to Gustavo and did what his mother said. The boy was so happy to get his sticker back that he didn't even complain as much as Claudio imagined he would.

Even without Gustavo's stickers, Claudio managed to complete his album. It took a while. Number one was one of the last he got, and he was very happy when he got it.

Claudio knew that the sticker case had ended well. Do you know how? Because when he thought about what happened he didn't feel bad anymore.

We make mistakes many times in life. This is normal because we are still evolving. What we need to do is correct our mistakes and move on.

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com