Once upon a time, there was a boy named Raheel who was 12 years old. Although he was a good child, used to helping others and respecting his elders, the only shortcoming he had was that he was not punctual, somehow, he always got late for things.

Therefore, besides being a very hardworking student, Raheel was often send back home from school because he would arrive late and any student who was frequently late would be sent home. This made Raheel upset because he missed his classes and he was only allowed to collect homework after school, which often made him confused as he didn’t know how to complete the assignments.

Raheel didn’t realise that a student who is punctual always gets respect and social acceptance in the school and society, and is admired by teachers as well as parents.

It was no wonder that when Raheel was invited to attend his best friend’s birthday party, he arrived late, which made him miss the cake cutting and fun games everyone played. His best friend was upset at this and didn’t talk to Raheel.

One day, there was a singing competition in his neighbourhood and he wanted to participate.

Luckily he got selected due to his good voice and he was so excited for the finale. His family and friends were thrilled as well and hoping that Raheel would win this competition.

Finally, on the day of the competition, Raheel was so happy and could not wait to go.

He had ironed his clothes, had a good breakfast, took shower, and looked fresh and confident. After more practice and rehearsal, Raheel got ready and was glad that he was going for the finale. But as his family was still getting ready therefore, Raheel thought to play a game on his PS4. He became so involved in his games that when his mother asked him to go, he told her to wait for five minutes as he was playing a match and didn’t want to lose. He did not even realise that being late could lead to disqualification from this competition.

A lot of time passed and when his mother finally scolded him and asked him to turn off the game as they were leaving.

He hurriedly shut the game and ran towards the car, but, unfortunately, they arrived just 10 minutes late and therefore, he didn’t get an entry as the participants had to be seated 15 minutes before the competition.

Raheel was upset as his request to enter in the hall wasn’t approved by the judges and he was asked to leave. This made Raheel learn the lesson that time is very important, more important than money; if a person is not punctual, they will miss good opportunities in life.

His parents forgave him for his carelessness and gave him another chance to be responsible and punctual and they were glad to see the change in him.

Moral: Punctuality is the key to success because, if you do not understand the value of time, you can never be successful in your life.

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 1st, 2021