Once upon a time, in a small town nestled in a mountain valley, there lived a family of four – a father, a mother and two kids, with the eldest being a boy called Paul. From a young age it was evident that Paul was a bit on the slower side, when it came to common sense and understanding of even the most basic concepts.

As he grew up, his parents noticed the outward signs of his idiocy, such as his daydreaming and lack of concentration, or his difficulty in understanding things that other children of his age seemed to grasp without difficulty. They gave him extra help and attention, but it often seemed like nothing was making a difference.

The boy’s parents continued to try to help him, but as he grew older, his idiocy only seemed to become more pronounced. He began to get involved in activities which were a bit “strange” for someone of his age, including reading books about outer space and inventing “silly” contraptions from TV sets and pieces of scrapwood.

Things came to a head when Paul decided to undertake the most outrageous activity of all: he announced that he intended to build a “rocket” out of scrap and fly it to the moon. His parents were so worried about his safety that they forbade him from going near any of the materials he wanted to use to make his rocket.

In spite of this, he managed to sneak out at night and build the rocket. When he was done, he loaded it onto a cart and wheeled it to the edge of the mountain, intent on launching himself into space. Unfortunately, Paul had not counted on gravity and his rocket fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Paul’s parents were devastated. They had wanted to protect him, but instead they had put him in a situation where he could get seriously injured. Despite the danger, Paul had persevered in his determination to reach for the stars and his parents had been unable to stop him.

The moral of this story is that, while it is important to nurture and protect our children from danger, it is equally important to let them pursue their goals and take risks. Everyone has the capacity to achieve great things, no matter how “simple” or “foolish” their ideas may seem. We should strive to always be open to the possibilities and encourage our children to reach for the stars.