Gandhi and the Boy Who Loved Sugar

One day, a worried mother came to see Mahatma Gandhi at his ashram. She was holding the hand of her young son.

“Bapu,” she said, “I have a big problem. My son eats too much sugar! It is bad for his teeth and his health. I have told him to stop, but he will not listen to me. He admires you very much. Please, will you tell him to stop eating sugar?”

Gandhi looked at the boy and then at the mother. He thought for a moment and said, “Sister, please come back with your son in two weeks. I will talk to him then.”

The mother was confused. Why did Bapu need two weeks just to say “Don’t eat sugar”? But she trusted him, so she took her son home.

Two weeks later, they returned. Gandhi motioned for the boy to come closer. He looked the boy in the eye and said firmly but kindly, “Son, you must stop eating so much sugar. It is not good for your body.”

The boy nodded seriously. “Yes, Bapu. I promise I will stop.”

The mother was happy, but she was also puzzled. She asked Gandhi, “Bapu, thank you. But why did you ask us to wait two weeks? Why couldn’t you say that when we came the first time?”

Gandhi smiled efficiently. “Because, Sister,” he replied, “two weeks ago, I was still eating sugar. How could I tell the boy to stop doing something that I was still doing myself?”

Moral of the Story: We must practice what we preach before we tell others what to do.