The Spoiled Child - A SynopsisPlay Audio

The Eastern European folktale, "The Spoiled Child," is about a spoiled rotten daughter named Galinka, whose parents pampered her all during childhood and never let her do a thing for herself. Galinka was used to being waited on hand and foot. Her parents catered to her every need, and this spoiled daughter became lazier with each passing day.

When Galinka reached a marriageable age, none of the young men in her village wanted to marry her, for no hardworking young man would take on a spoiled, lazy wife like Galinka. One day a family from another village arrived, and the son liked Galinka very much. The mother was willing to give her daughter away in marriage, but first she told the young man's parents how delicately they should treat Galinka. They should never make her sweep the house or yard, and she wasn't used to carrying heavy water from the well. She told them to put a soft pillow under her head at night, for Galinka was used to sleeping on something soft and comfortable. She made them promise not to shout at Galinka; she was not used to being treated harshly.

The bridegroom's father told the mother not to worry, for no harsh words were ever spoken in their house. So Galinka and her bridegroom got into the cart with his parents and traveled back to the village where the family lived.

Galinka was happy, thinking the mother-in-law would treat her like her own mother had, preparing wonderful meals, making her comfortable, waiting on her, and never making her lift a finger to help out. The father-in-law kept his promise. No harsh words were ever spoken, but Galinka soon learned a harsh lesson about life. Read the story and discover how this village family quickly changed Galinka's spoiled ways and selfish habits.

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