Some parents are always comparing their children with themselves when they were young, or with other people when they were children.
"When I was your age," a father said to his sixteen-year-old son one day, "I was at the top of my class every year. And I knew what I wanted to do when I left school. I had goals. You are always at the bottom of your class, and you have no goals."
The man's son said nothing. He had heard this from his father many times.
"And when your mother was your age," the boy's father went on, "she had a good job and she was earning money. You don't even have a part-time job. You earn nothing."
The man's son still said nothing. He had heard this before, too.
"And when your older brother was your age," the boy's father went on, "he studied hard. You just waste your time."
And the man's son still said nothing.
Finally, the boy's father said, "And when Abraham Lincoln was your age, he worked all day and studied at night."
This time the son could not stay silent.
"And when Abraham Lincoln was your age, Father," he said, "he was the President of the United States. What are you?"
His father had no answer to this.
