Theme: Health care

It is necessary to take health care

John was a very lively boy. He really liked to spend his time playing football on the street with the neighbors, climbing trees and walking barefoot on the grass. The boy was very happy to spend his time like this, but his mother was worried.

	- My son, you need to take care of yourself! Don't walk around barefoot like that, you might step on a thorn. And wear a sweater! - she warned. - It will be dark soon and you might catch a cold. - No need, Mom... You
know how I never get sick.

John was more concerned about the soccer championship that the kids from down the street were organizing. His team needed to train hard to have any chance of winning. That's why, as soon as he got home from school, John would leave to practice. He wanted to spend the whole afternoon practicing kicks and dribbling.

His mother, after a few hours, called him and said:

— John let's go home. I want you to wash your hands and get a sandwich! It is not good to spend the afternoon without eating.

— John, time to get in. You've played too long, it's time to take a shower and rest.

 But the boy got annoyed and always replied:

- I'll be right there, mother! I'll practice just a few more minutes.

Once, John was playing for so long that he didn't even notice that it was already dark. He was very pleased, but he realized he wasn't feeling very well.

- I go running home - he thought.

But John quickly realized that he could no longer run. He was tired and sore. He had spent the entire afternoon playing football without having eaten. His shirt was soaked with sweat, and he didn't have a coat to protect him from the wind. Before long he felt his head start to ache and he came home sneezing.

Even after dinner and a hot bath, John still felt terrible. His mother encouraged him to go to bed early so he could get plenty of rest.

The next day, John woke up with a fever and did not go to school. And yet, the boy wanted to get out of bed to play ball.

- But Mom, I'm better now - he said, coughing - I can go out to play.

His mother sighed, realizing that it would be difficult to convince John with words only. Then, taking his box of colored pencils, which was nearby, she said:

- Son, see how worn is this blue pencil? This is one that you use the most, isn't it?

John nodded, without understanding, and she continued:

— You need to take good care of the pencil if you want to use it for a long time. You can't drop it on the floor, or paint with it using too much strength. Our body is like that too. We need to take care of it constantly so we could keep healthy. Eating nourishing foods, getting good sleep, exercising, taking a shower, brushing our teeth... And just as we need to spend time sharpening the pencil when the tip breaks, we also need to give our body time to rest when we are sick. Do you understand that? Could you paint well, using a pencil with a broken or very worn tip? - she asked.

- No - replied the boy sadly.

John has understood what his mother meant. We need a healthy body, in good condition, to get things done.

That day, he learned that taking care of our body and keeping it healthy is the best recipe for us to live well.

John spent a few days without playing football, indoors, resting, recovering. He took advantage of this time to draw and paint, which he also liked to do. As he sharpened his pencils or put them in the box so he could find them and use them later, he thought about what his mother had said.

When he was healed, he went back to practice and managed to play in the championship. But he started to respect the limits of his body more and to take more care of his health.

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com