1) A young father was visiting an older neighbour. They were standing in the older man's garden and talking about children. The young man said, "How strict should parents be with their children?" The older man pointed to a string between a big, strong tree and a thin, young one.
" Please, untie that string," he said. The young man untied it, and the young tree bent over to one side. "Now, tie again, please," said the older man, "But first pull the string tight so that the younger tree is straight again."
The young man did this. Then the older man said," There is the same with children. You must be strict with them, but sometimes you must untie the string to see how they are getting on. If they are not get able to stand alone, you must tie the string tight again. But when you find that they are ready to stand alone, you can take the string away."