Please indulge me as I share one of my favorite children's books, since it offers such a valuable life lesson.
The miller, his son, and their donkey (in Lisa's words)
So the story starts out with a father and son walking their donkey to a fair to sell him. They pass by a bunch of girls who start laughing at them for walking when they could be riding the donkey so the dad tells his son to get on and ride the donkey. Then they pass men who chastise the son for not respecting his elder and so the son gets off and the dad gets on. They pass some mothers and children who scold the dad for making his son walk while he rides so the dad tells the son to get on behind him. Later they pass someone who can't believe that they are both riding the poor donkey and says they are better able to carry it than it carry them. So they tie the donkey to a stick and carry it (yeah it looks pretty silly) and then a whole town of people are laughing at the silly sight so the donkey freaks out and kicks the cords off and falls into a river. The last page of the book reads:
The old man, vexed and ashamed, pulled his donkey out of the river, convinced that by endeavoring to please everybody he had pleased nobody, and had almost lost his donkey in the bargain.
"From now on," he said, making his way into town, "others can blame or praise me; I will do as I please."
So he did, and did well.
