Jared Dees's Blog: The Latest from Jared Dees, page 3

The Undecided Donkey: A Fable for Kids

Share this story with a kid who is struggling to make decisions.

The following story is inspired by the philosophical paradox known as “Buridan’s ass (donkey).” A donkey is equally hungry and thirsty and standing exactly in between both food and water. The donkey would usually go to the one that is closer first, but this time the donkey is right in the middle of both choices. Since it can’t choose one or the other, the donkey dies of hunger and thirst.

The story gets it’s name from Fre...

The Parable of the Wheelbarrow and the Tightrope

This story is inspired by the life of Charles Blondin, the most famous tightrope walker of the 19th century. He made a name for himself by frequently crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope in various ways: blindfolded, wearing stilts, pushing a wheelbarrow, and even by carrying a man on his back.

The following parable circulated in the years after Blondin’s success. Whether it is a factual story or not is hard to say, but the message about faith is so powerful that I had to share it.

Th...

The Parable of the Two Arrows for Kids

The Parable of the Two Arrows provides a helpful lesson about our response to pain and suffering from the Buddhist tradition. The message of the story is a great example of where Buddhist and Christian wisdom align. From a Christian perspective, the second arrow in the story is usually avoided through mercy and forgiveness.

The Parable of the Two Arrows

The Buddha asked his student, “If a person is struck by an arrow, is it painful?”

The student answered, “Yes, of course.”

Then t...

The Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant for Kids

The Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant originated in ancient India probably around the time that the Buddha’s teachings were beginning to spread around the region. 

This story is a perfect way to kick-off a discussion about people with differing opinions. In our very divided society today, it is helpful to return to stories like this one to remind ourselves of our limitations and the need to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. For older kids, the story is a great way to start a ...

Charlie Munger’s Teacher and the Sheep Story

I first heard David Senra retell this story on the Founders Podcast. It was a favorite story of Charlie Munger and a good one to share with kids. David shared a screenshot of the story here. I rewrote a version that might be helpful for the classroom.

The Teacher and the Sheep Story

In a rural school in Texas, a teacher asked the question, “If there are nine sheep in a pen and one jumps out, how many are left?”

“Eight!” the class responded.

But one little boy raised his hand and ...

The Parable of the Three Bricklayers for Kids

There are many different variations of the story of the Three Bricklayers. The oldest source I could find is a book by Bruce Barton published in 1927, which recounts a story from 1666 featuring architect and scientist, Sir Christopher Wren. Wren was responsible for rebuilding St. Paul’s Cathedral after a fire during the previous year that destroyed much of the city of London. In this version of the story, the bricklayers were referred to as “workmen” and stonecutters.

Here’s a short versi...

A Parable about Rebuilding or Repairing the World

I came across an inspiring parable in Robin Sharma’s book, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. The book itself is a parable (or fable), but it includes a anecdotal story that I really found profound.

Here is my retelling of the story for kids:

A father sat down after a long day’s work and wanted to read the newspaper. His son kept bothering him. He wanted to talk and play.

The father had enough. He tore out a page of the newspaper with a picture of the world and ripped it into little...

J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Road Goes Ever On” Reflection Questions

At the core of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, is an ongoing poem by the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins. The poem is a wonderful summary of the experience of adventure. It is also a wonderful summary of the experience of life. It offers us a great opportunity to help our kids think about life as an adventure. 

Here is the poem as it is told by Bilbo in The Lord of the Rings:

The Road Goes Ever On

The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where...

My 2023 Annual Project Report

Here is a look back at 2023 and the lessons I learned as full-time author and creator. This is the seventh annual project report (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).

Here is the month-by-month breakdown of the time I spent as a creator:

MY TOP 25 PROJECTS122:21 – The Religion Teacher Email & Customer Service82:57 – Morning Preview72:00 – The Gospel According to Video Games (Book)66:06 – Daily Review52:16 – Weekly Review49:52 – Speaking Events 47:54 – Jare...

“The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde: Summary, Meaning, and Questions

“The Selfish Giant” is a short story for children by Oscar Wilde. Wilde lived a complex and controversial life but, like the Giant in his story, Wilde had a conversion to Christianity late in life. He wished to be baptized and received into the Church on his deathbed in 1900. He wrote this Christian fable for children while his own two sons were very young. 

You can read The Selfish Giant online here.

The Selfish Giant Summary 

Children loved to play in the Giant’s garden while he ...