Sometimes in life, we encounter circumstances where there’s a conflict of interest with others. Someone might want the same thing as we do, and only one of us can have it. During such instances, human beings tend to settle the differences through arguments or fights, which aren’t beneficial for both parties. Therefore, finding a way to resolve such conflicts is necessary. Kids particularly need to be taught this. ‘The Two Goats’ story in English is a good example for teaching this lesson. Here’s ‘The Two Goats’ full story for kids:
Origin And History Of ‘The Two Goats’
This short story occurs in different forms in many cultures. However, the actual story of the two goats comes from Aesop’s Fables – a collection of stories by a Greek slave storyteller called Aesop. The fables involve people and animals and have a unique way of conveying moral messages through solid narration. ‘The Two Goats’ story is one such classic. Aesop’s stories were translated and edited by Reverand Fyler Townsend in England. Soon after its publication, it became a source for many more stories subsequently.
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Story Type Of ‘The Two Goats’
As mentioned earlier, this story is one of the classic Aesop’s Fables. It can come under bedtime stories categories too.
Story Characters
The story involves four characters; all of them are goats. The first two goats are stubborn and full of ego. They are unyielding no matter the consequences and lack wisdom. The two other goats that appear in the latter part of the story are wiser and willing to work together for mutual benefit.
‘The Two Goats’ Story For Children
Once upon a time, there was a large river in a village that cut across a deep gorge. The town’s people built a small, narrow bridge across the river to cross it now and then. The bridge being narrow, could only accommodate one person crossing it at a time.
One day a goat was crossing the bridge. At the other end of the bridge, he saw that there was another goat coming from the opposite direction. Since the bridge could only accommodate one person at a time, it was impossible for both the goats to cross it simultaneously.
The goats stood in their place and waited for the other to retreat. But neither of them was willing to back down to let the other pass. The first goat then said, ‘I am the older goat, so you should allow me to pass first.’ The other goat denied and said, ‘I am the stronger one, so I can cross the bridge faster. You will only amble along because you are old.’
The first goat took offence to what the other one said and continued, ‘Although I am older, I am stronger than you.’ The second goat did not want to accept that, and both the goats soon got into a fight to prove to each other their strength.
The goats locked horns and fought fiercely on the narrow bridge. In no time, they lost their balance and fell into the river. The strong currents swept the goats away, causing them to drown and disappear into the deep waters.
After the incident, two other goats faced one another in a similar situation. These goats also got into an argument about who should be the one to cross the bridge first. Just when it looked like things would take a turn for the worse, one of the goats stops the argument. He said, ‘Stop! This bridge is too narrow for us to settle our dispute with a fight. If we continue this, we will both fall into the river and die instead. I have a plan.’
The wise goat went on to explain the plan. He said, ‘I will lie down on the bridge while you walk over me. That way, we can both make it to the other end.’
The other goat understood the logic behind the idea and realised it was the sensible thing to do. He did exactly as the first goat instructed, and both of them made it across safely.
Story Summary
Two goats come face to face on a bridge so narrow that only one goat can cross the bridge at a time. Both the goats got into an argument about who got to cross first. The discussion turned into a physical fight, and the goats fell into the river and drowned. A while later, two more goats found themselves in the same position. However, this time the goats realise fighting would end in a disaster. So, one goat lays down while the other walks over him and both the goats cross the river safely.
Moral Of The Story
There are many important moral lessons children can learn from the story. The first lesson is about conflict, wherein the two goats that tried to cross the bridge first were stubborn and unyielding. They failed to think about working together and long-term outcomes. Instead, they chose to resolve their conflict through a fight without considering the consequences. Because of their conflict, both the goats paid for their poor decision.
The second lesson is about long-term thinking and wisdom. Although the second pair of goats were in the same situation, they stopped in the middle of their argument, thought about the long-term consequences of their actions, chose to set aside their ego, and worked towards mutual benefit.
How Can Children Apply The Moral Lesson Of The Story In Their Real Life?
Children often run into challenging circumstances similar to the one in the story with their friends and family. It is common for them to get angry over trivial issues and get into arguments or fights. For example, when siblings fight over a toy or something else they want, the outcome might be a time-out with neither getting the toy. However, if they can work out who gets to play with the toy first, they can save a lot of trouble.
Approaching any disagreements with anger and ego is bound to cause loss to one or both the people involved. Instead of getting into fights that can result in a loss for all, children can find more constructive ways to solve a dispute, the way the second pair of goats did in the story. Looking past their anger and pride, they can always find an answer that works best for everyone.
It is also important to remember for kids that backing down from a fight does not mean they are weak. Sometimes, the best response to a challenge is finding a different way to tackle it, and it takes more restraint and clarity to avoid jumping blindly into a fight. These are some of the important lessons children can learn from the story.
‘The Two Goats’ story teaches us how important it is to yield by setting aside anger and pride during difficult times. The short story talks about how different the outcome of the same circumstance would be by making other choices.
Also Read:
The Frog Prince Moral Story for Children
Panchatantra Tale Of The Loyal Mongoose for Kids
King Midas And The Golden Touch Story with Moral for Kids
