Moral of the Story:
Take responsibility for your mess; do not hand your garbage to others; instead, find the proper place to throw it away so you show respect for yourself,
your home, and everyone around you.
In a lively jungle full of laughter,
chatter, and swinging vines lived a young tiger named Timmy.
Timmy was fast, funny, and full of
energy.
But Timmy had a habit that made
everyone groan.
Timmy treated everyone like a garbage
can.
Finished with a snack?
“Here you go,” Timmy would say, handing his wrapper to his mom.
Done with a drink?
“Hold this,” he would tell his dad, dropping it right into his paw.
Playing with friends?
If Timmy had trash, he did not look for a place to put it.
He looked for a person.
And if no one was close by…
He just dropped it on the ground.
Timmy thought this was perfectly
fine.
Everyone else did not.
One morning, Timmy was eating juicy
jungle berries.
Slurp slurp slurp.
When he finished, he turned and held
out his sticky leaves.
“Here, Mom.”
His mother looked at the leaves.
Then she looked at Timmy.
Then she said very calmly, “Timmy, I
am not your garbage can.”
Timmy blinked. “But you always take
it.”
His mother smiled gently. “That is
about to change.”
Timmy shrugged and ran off.
Later, Timmy met Benny the Bear and
Sammy the Squirrel under their favorite shady tree.
They were enjoying crunchy snacks
and laughing together.
Timmy finished first.
Without thinking, he handed his
trash to Benny.
“Here.”
Benny stared at it. “What is this?”
“My garbage.”
Benny slowly pushed it back. “Timmy,
I am not your garbage can.”
Timmy turned to Sammy. “Fine. You
take it.”
Sammy jumped back like the wrapper
might bite him. “No, thank you!”
Timmy rolled his eyes and dropped it
on the ground.
“Problem solved,” he said.
Benny frowned. “No, Timmy. Problem
created.”
Sammy added, “Now someone else has
to clean it up.”
Timmy just laughed and ran off to
chase butterflies.
That afternoon, Timmy’s family went
to the Jungle Café.
It was one of Timmy’s favorite
places.
He ordered a giant plate of honey
cakes.
He gobbled them up in record time.
Crumbs everywhere.
Sticky paws.
Big smile.
Then he picked up his napkin and
turned to his father.
“Here.”
His father did not take it.
Instead, he leaned forward and said
clearly, “Timmy, others are not your garbage can.”
Timmy froze.
“But… what do I do with it?” he
asked.
His father pointed.
Right across the room was a big
trash bin.
Timmy had seen it many times.
He had just never used it.
His mother said softly, “You walk it
there.”
Timmy looked at his paws.
He looked at the trash.
He looked at the bin.
Then, slowly, he stood up.
Step by step, he walked across the
room.
And dropped the napkin inside.
Clunk.
Timmy blinked.
“That was… easy,” he said.
His father smiled. “Very easy.”
That evening, Timmy sat at home with
a snack.
He finished it.
He looked at his mom.
He looked at his trash.
He paused.
Then he stood up, walked to the bin,
and dropped it in.
His mother clapped softly. “Well
done, Timmy.”
The next day, Timmy met Benny and
Sammy again.
They sat under the same tree.
Same snacks.
Same laughter.
Timmy finished first again.
Benny raised an eyebrow.
Sammy watched closely.
Timmy stood up.
Walked to a nearby bin.
And tossed his garbage away.
Benny smiled widely. “That is new.”
Sammy nodded. “And much better.”
Timmy grinned. “I figured something
out.”
“What is that?” Benny asked.
Timmy puffed out his chest.
“Others are not my garbage can.”
Over the next few days, Timmy
changed.
He stopped handing off his trash.
He stopped dropping things on the
ground.
He started noticing messes around
him.
And sometimes…
He even picked them up.
One afternoon, his mother saw him
pick up a wrapper that was not his.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
Timmy shrugged. “Because it does not
belong there.”
His father smiled proudly. “That is
responsibility.”
Timmy beamed.
“I take care of my mess,” he said.
“And I help when I can.”
That night, Timmy curled up in his cozy
den.
“I like this better,” he said.
His mother asked, “Why?”
Timmy smiled. “Because everything
feels cleaner. And I feel proud.”
His father nodded. “That is what
happens when you do the right thing.”
Timmy closed his eyes and yawned.
And from that day on, whenever Timmy
had garbage, he knew exactly what to do.
He did not look for a person.
He looked for a trash can.
Because others are not his garbage
can.
And he was more than capable of
doing it himself.
Moral of the story poem:
Do not pass your trash away
Take responsibility every day
Walk it over; do your part
Show respect with hands and heart
Keep things clean both here and there
Help your home with love and care
Pride will grow in all you do
When it starts and ends with you
Discussion Questions for Parents and
Caregivers:
1.
Why did Timmy’s parents and friends
stop taking his garbage?
2.
How did Timmy feel once he started
throwing his trash away himself?
3.
What can you do to help keep your
home and other places clean every day?
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