"Dad, Can You Tell Us a Bedtime Story?" – A Story About Power

Adam was sitting in the study room of his home, in his favourite chair. It was late evening; the sun was getting ready to set, but appeared to be hesitating, wanting the day to go on for just a little longer. He switched on the lamp on his table and started writing. He had always wanted to become a writer. Now in middle age, he was finally beginning to learn the ways of the world, having healed from his childhood trauma and woken up to learning how he could fulfil his potential. He had a quote from the ancient philosopher Epictetus ringing in his ears: “If you wish to be a writer, write.” He had promised himself he would write a minimum of 100 words every day. Today, he felt tired, but he remembered his vision and how small and achievable his goals were, so he felt inspired to take on his daily challenge.

Dad! Tell Us a Story

He sat down and wrote those words, when his twelve-year-old daughter, Yasmine, came into the room along with her ten-year-old brother Ahmed, eight-year-old Asha, six-year-old Umar, and four-year-old Khalid. Yasmine, looking excited and expectant, said, “Dad! Mum said we need to get ready to go to bed, but we all begged her to let us see you first, and hear you tell us a story! We promised Mum that today we would ask for a short story, and just one story!”

Adam said, “My beloved children, gather around and make a circle. I am going to share with you a story that I heard recently, one that I wish my father had told me when I was your age—because I desperately missed and needed the wisdom contained in this story throughout my life. I only learned it in middle age, but I want you to learn it today.”

The children made a circle, connecting with each other, leaving no space or distance between them, united in their anticipation and excitement to hear the story. They all said, “Please Dad, go ahead, tell us the story.”

Adam, with a cheeky smile on his face, said, “Wait! I just realised that I cannot tell you this story now, but there is another story that I can tell you instead. Are you ready?”

The children all murmured, and the room echoed with the sound of them looking perplexed and talking among themselves. Immediately, and in unison, they shouted and demanded to know, “Daaaaad! Daaaad! No, we want to hear the first story you had in mind for us. Why can't you tell us that story?”

Adam, putting a serious expression on his face, and with a calm but determined voice, said, “Because I realised that it is not fair! I heard this story recently in my middle age. I think you need to wait until you reach a similar age to hear it, and I promise to tell you the story then. But I have an exciting and a very interesting story that I would like to tell you instead.”

The children were incandescent with rage, barely able to hold themselves together. They all felt the same feelings, and talking over each other, they cried out with one voice, “Daaaad! Daaaaad! Daaaaad! It is fair! It is fair! It is fair!”

Adam, still holding a serious expression on his face—but barely so—said, “It is not fair, because the lesson contained in that story I learned late in life. It is not fair that you learn it so early!”

The children groaned, “It is fair, Dad-duh!”

I Will Tell You The Story, On One Condition!

A smile finally broke across Adam's face. “Okay, okay. I will tell you that first story, but on one condition.”

Excited that their dad appeared to be giving in and that they would finally get their way, the children asked, “What is the condition, Dad?”

Adam, with a warm and loving smile broadcasting on his face, looked all his children in the eye and said, “The condition is that you reflect on the lesson of the story, and allow it to change the way you see things.”

The children said, hurriedly and eagerly, “Yes, we promise, Dad.”

Adam said, “Okay, here is the story.

The Fable of Fatima

When I heard this story, I was so moved that tears flowed from my eyes, and my heart moved in my chest. This is a story between a father called Mohamed and his ten-year-old daughter, Fatima. They had a beautiful connection. Fatima was intelligent, sharp, strong, athletic, agile, and fast—she started walking before her older brother, Ali, even started crawling! In school, she topped her class, and even in athletics, she was assigned to compete with the boys. Fatima would challenge her older brother to compete with her in arm wrestling, often winning.

One day, Fatima and her father went for a walk in the park. Towards the end of their walk, Fatima noticed a big stone on the path home. Feeling excited and eager for a challenge, Fatima said to her dad, ‘Look! There is a massive stone blocking the path. I can move it to the side. Do you think I can do it?’

Mohamed gave her a broad and beaming smile and said, ‘My daughter, of course you can move the stone—if you use all your power.’

Spurred by the confidence and encouragement shown by her father, and confident in her own ability, strength, and resilience, Fatima walked towards the stone with a spring in her step. She said out loud, ‘Dad! I can do it, I know I can!’ She looked back one more time at her dad, seeing him nodding vigorously, smiling, and showing total confidence in her.

Fatima put her hands on the stone, bent her knees, and, mustering all her energy and strength, attempted to move the stone towards the edge of the path. The stone moved not even one inch. It stayed put.

Fatima, stirred but unshaken, tried again. The stone again remained unmoved. Fatima adjusted her grip and made a third attempt to move the stone, putting all her effort on the line. The stone refused to budge.

Feeling shaken, and with the confidence seeping away from her voice, Fatima turned towards her dad, who was close by, and said to him, ‘Dad, I thought I could move the stone, but I cannot. Do you still think I can move it?’

Her dad remained calm and collected. Showing complete confidence in her, and sure of himself and what he was saying, he said to her, ‘Yes, my daughter. Of course you can move the stone, if you use all your power.’

Feeling motivated and energised by how unshaken her dad was in his belief of her abilities, Fatima started believing in herself again. She said to her dad, ‘Dad, I think I can do it. I am going to try again.’

Her dad gave her an approving nod and smiled. Fatima once again attempted to move the stone, trying in vain on three separate occasions. Feeling demoralised, drained, and dejected that the stone, despite all her attempts, had not moved even an inch, she turned towards her dad. Showing anger at herself and frustration towards him, she said, ‘Dad, why did you lie to me?’

Her dad, remaining calm and unfazed, moved closer with an open heart and open arms. Reaching his daughter, he sat next to her, put his arm around her, and said, ‘My daughter, how did I lie to you?’

With tears flowing from her eyes and her voice breaking, Fatima said, ‘Dad, why did you say to me, Of course you can move the stone, if you use all your power? Dad, I have used all my power, time and time again. I could not move the stone even an inch. When I asked you if you still thought I could move it, again, Dad, you said, Of course you can move the stone, if you use all your power. Dad, why did you lie to me?’

Mohamed embraced his daughter, used his shirt sleeves to wipe the tears from her eyes, and said to her with love, gentleness, and compassion, ‘My beloved daughter, I did not lie to you. Of course you can move the stone, if you use all your power.’
Perplexed, and cutting him off before he could complete his thought, Fatima said, ‘Dad! Of course I used all my power! I tried my best, Dad.’

Mohamed reassured his daughter, squeezed her in a tight embrace, and said to her with a smile on his face, looking directly into her eyes, ‘My beloved daughter, of course you tried your best. But you did not use all your power.’

Again cutting him off before he could say anything else, his daughter said, ‘Dad! I did use all my power!’

Her dad, with a deep and loving voice, said to his daughter, ‘Did you ask me to help you?’

He kissed her on the forehead, and saw the gleam of a smile return to her eyes as she settled her head onto his lap and hugged him close.”

Adam paused, letting the silence fill the room. Then, starting with the smallest child, he gave each of his children a deep and loving hug, and kissed them on the forehead. He stretched out both his arms wide and embraced them all at once. He then asked them to line up, from eldest to youngest, and hold each other's hands, and to go and give each other a hug and a kiss before they went to sleep.