You heard right. Just 100 yards from our home, stands a large green metal container, about 7 by 7 feet high and wide, that we pass by everyday on our way home from school. And on lucky days, we’d catch the monkeys at lunchtime with food strewn across the jungle road and we’d stop to say hello.

That day, T1 asked how the large monkey trap caught its monkeys. I explained that there was bait inside and once the monkeys jumped in, there was no way out. I could see her face having that perplexed confused look wondering why the idiotic monkey would fall for such a prank.

Then, she asked, “Are monkeys smarter or humans smarter?”

“Humans, of course!”

“What about monkeys? Are they all same smart or are some smarter than others?”

“Just like human, some are smarter than others….”

“If I was a monkey, I wouldn’t jump in there….,” was she trying to tell me that she belonged to the ‘smarter’ category?

I took the opportunity to make this a lesson plan on compassion and sharing, as she is lacking (to me) in these areas. She is only compassionate and shares with those that she WANTS to share with, but with people who’ve hurt her, she is extremely unforgiving. And although some may feel that this is a normal response, I would like her to be a bigger person. Because my mother is. So I’m just passing it on. Thanks to Nana, our entire family opine that being extremely intelligent or extremely rich, is a secondary achievement, if it can even be considered that. A real achievement is having a big heart. You could be a NASA scientist or speak articulately and eloquently or have the wit of lightning, you could own a few islands around the world or fly on private jet in your travels, but if you didn’t have a big heart, respect from us would be hard garnered.

Which is why the funniest, prettiest, richest girl is still finding it so hard to steal my brother’s heart. Her heart just ain’t big enough. Yet. Yes, the heart can be grown and nurtured and I intend to start early with my own girls.

I asked her during our drive home, “What if you were really hungry and needed to eat the food that was in the monkey trap? What would you do?”

T1 answered nonchalantly, “OH, I’d just get food from the other trees. There are lots of trees with berries and bananas, I’ll just hunt for them.”

I challenged her, “What if you were smaller than the other monkeys (and she is smaller than most her friends!) or if you weren’t so fast, and all the other monkeys always got to the food on the trees quicker than you, and you were always left with nothing, what would you do then?”

“Not to worry. I’ll just become good friends with the fastest monkey and he will share his food with me.”

*SOMERSAULT TRIPLE TIMES OVER IN EXASPERATION*

Thus, began another lesson on friendship and how you should never use your friends and that this was no better than her friend liking her only for her nice toys blablablablablabla………….

What about your kids? Care to share? Is this a 5 year old phase thing?

Anyway, compassion, sharing and friendship…….we’re working on it. At least she said that if she were the fastest monkey, she WOULD share her food with the weaker monkeys, but ONLY if they were nice monkeys. There is hope yet.

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Who is Mamapumpkin?
Mamapumpkin is a former Design Architect turned Multi-Million Dollar Digital Entrepreneur. She sets out to prove to all that you can have anything and everything that you want; if you have that fire of desire burning within and the drive to work hard. Even better with much love.

Mamapumpkin has not only grown corporate businesses successfully in the past and doubled her salary 5 times over 5 organisations but has grown THREE BUSINESSES to 7 FIGURES within an 8 year period. She now shows others EXACTLY HOW after retiring her own husband from employment. He is now the official dog walker, family driver, chef and THE BEST FATHER to their two girls and THE BEST HUSBAND to the woman who CHOSE HIM!

Mamapumpkin is the girl who has nothing but fights for everything including YOU. She is idealistic in her desire to put unbelievable amounts of money and extrardinary happiness into the lives of good people so we can change the world together believing in happiness for ALL. She strives to impact lives authentically wanting to reduce poverty cycles and enable quality education for all and always supports the voiceless. She believes we can all have a life of our own desires to enable real contribution into the world. But first, one needs to understand what this all means.

A beautiful life without limits.

If you wish to learn how to propel your life forward guaranteed, be brave to take action. Mamapumpkin's purpose is to build people. Her gift is to help them UNCOVER their HIDDEN GIFTS. She operates fairly and always leaves an impression. You either love her or not and she is alright either way.

She is a living testimony that women really can have a lot. Being financially and time free has enabled her to travel the world anytime, anywhere, doing anything with anyone, as she spends most of her days with her children, having fun, supporting others wherever she can. Also having fun.