The Parable of the Two Children, the Kitten and the Puppy

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, ”Teacher, what is the new American dream?”

Josh spoke thus:

Two children were playing with a kitten and a puppy.

“Someday,” one of the children told the kitten, “You’re going to be a great lion.”  The kitten squirmed in the child’s arms.

“That’s a kitten,” the second child said, “It’s going to be a cat.”

“You don’t know it’s not going to be a lion,” the first child said.

“Lions come from cubs, not from kittens,” the second child said.

“It still might be a lion,” the first child said.  The first child set aside the kitten and picked up the puppy.

“Someday,” the first child said to the puppy, “You’re going to be a great wolf.”  The puppy squirmed in the child’s arms.

“That’s a puppy,” the second child said, “It’s going to be a dog.”

“You don’t know it’s not going to be a wolf,” the first child said.

“Wolves come from cubs, not from puppies,” the second child said.

“It still might be a wolf,” the first child said.  The first child set the puppy aside

“Some day I’m going to be a great President,” the first child said.

“You’re not going to be President,” the second child said.

“You don’t know I’m not going to be President,” the first child said.

“Presidents don’t come from people like us,” the second child said, “Presidents come from rich people.”

“I thought you were going to say I had to be a cub,” the first child said, “And I am a cub.”

“You’re not a cub,” the second child said, “You’re a cub scout.”

“So I’m going to grow up to be a great scout?” the first child asked.
“They don’t have grown-up scouts,” the second child said.

“So what do cub scouts grow up to be?” the first child asked.

“Cub scouts grow up to be anything,” the second child said.

“But not a lion and not a wolf and not a president?” the first child asked.

The first child picked up the kitten and the puppy and started to walk away.

“Where are you going?” the second child asked.

“Somewhere we can be not a lion, not a wolf and not President together,” the first child said.

“Can I be not a lion, not a wolf and not President with you?” the second child asked.

“It’s a free country,” the first child said, “You can not be anything you want not to be.

The two children, the kitten and the puppy went off to be not two presidents, not a lion and not a wolf, together.