短文大意：有一个男孩爱发脾气，他父亲给了他一大包钉子，并且告诉他，每当他生气的时候就用铁锤在后院的栅栏上钉一颗钉子。第一天，小男孩共在栅栏上钉了37颗钉子。过了几个星期，由于学会了控制自己的愤怒，小男孩每天在栅栏上钉钉子的数目逐渐减少了。他发现控制自己的坏脾气比往栅栏上钉钉子容易得多了……最后，小男孩变得不爱发脾气了。
他把自己的转变告诉了父亲。他父亲又建议说：“如果你能坚持一整天不发脾气，就从栅栏上拔下一颗钉子。”经过一段时间，小男孩终于把栅栏上所有的钉子都拔掉了。
父亲拉着他的手来到栅栏旁，对小男孩说：“儿子，你做得很好。但是，你看一看那些钉子在栅栏上留下的那么多小孔，栅栏再也不会是原来的样子了。当你向别人发过脾气之后，你的言语就像这些钉孔一样，会在人们的心灵中留下疤痕。你这样做就好比用刀子刺向了某人的身体，然后再拔出来。无论你说多少次对不起，那伤口都会永远存在。那种伤痛就像真实的伤痛一样令人无法承受。其实，口头上对人们造成的伤害与伤害人们的肉体没有什么两样。”
In a small village, a little boy lived with his father and mother. He was the only son for them. The parents of the little boy were very depressed due to his bad temper. The boy used to get angry very soon and taunt others with his words. His bad temper made him fall for angry words. He scolded kids, neighbours and even his friends due to anger. He invited all worries for his parents through the verbal usage. While he forgot what he spoke in anger, his friends and neighbours avoided him.
His mother and father consoled him in many ways to give up his anger and develop kindness. Unfortunately, all their attempts failed. Finally, the boy’s father came up with an idea.
One day, his father gave him a huge bag of nails. He asked his son to hammer one nail to the fence every time he became angry and to lose his temper. The little boy found it hilarious and accepted to do what his father said.
The nails drove him to hammer in the fence for 30 times on the first day! Every time he lost his temper, he ran to the fence and hammered a nail. In the next few days, the number of nails hammered on the fence was reduced to half. The little boy found it very difficult to hammer the nails and decided to control his temper.
Gradually, the number of nails hammered to the fence was reduced and the day arrived when no nail was hammered! Yet, the boy did not lose his temper. He told his father that it was several days that he did not hammer any nail and he did not lose his temper!
Now, his father told him to remove the nails every day as he had controlled his anger. Several days passed and the boy was able to pull out most of the nails from the fence. However, there remained a few nails that the boy could not pull out.
The boy told his father about the same. The father appreciated him and asked him pointing to the hole, ‘What do you see there?’
The boy replied, ‘a hole in the fence!’
He told the boy, “The nails were your bad temper and they were hammered on people. You can remove the nails but still see the holes in the fence. Again, you cannot pull out a few nails. The fence never look the same! It has scars all over! You can stab a man with a knife, but the wound will remain there forever. Your bad temper and anger were like that! Words are more painful than physical abuse! Use words for good. Use them to embrace the relationships. Use them to show your heart!”
Inappropriate verbal usage would cause permanent marks than physical damage!Let our Words be kind and sweet.
对于这篇短文的感悟：
人在生活中会遇到各种矛盾与困惑，妥善解决了这些问题，人的心情就阳光灿烂;如果解决不了，有的人乱发脾气，有的人泰 然处之，其实，问题仍然存在，只是人的心态改变。但就是心态二字，决定了自己的情绪质量，也决定了对别人的影响质量，发脾气既让自己感觉不舒服，也给别人 带来了尴尬与伤痛。正如故事中的小男孩，钉钉子就像发脾气，别人就是栅栏，钉了钉子再拔出来就像发了脾气成过眼烟云，时间久了，自己也不记得或者不在乎 了，但是给栅栏留下了伤痕。在人与人之间的交往中，发脾气最容易伤害和气。
人的生活有两个世界——物质世界和心理世界，物质世界决 定于自然法则，心理世界决定于人的心灵。就像天空的颜色，不仅取决于空气中物质含量的比例，还取决于人的心态，并且心态在很大程度上决定天空的颜色，心态 阳光，感觉天空就晴朗;心态郁闷，感觉天空就阴霾;心态烦躁，感觉天空就刮沙尘暴。其实眼睛还是那双眼睛，天空还是那片天空，只是心态不同而已。人不能篡 改物质世界，却能改造心理世界，因为这是大自然馈赠给人的独特礼物。
学生时代是在心理世界涂上最佳底色的最佳时期，家长只有培养孩子学会调 适自己的心态，孩子才能牢固地拥有大自然馈赠的独特礼物。故事中小男孩的父亲是个睿智的家长，他用“遇物而诲”的教育方法让孩子在体验中感悟发脾气的害 处，可谓“一箭三雕”——孩子的脾气得到了发泄，又没有伤害到别人，还明白了道理。
用巧妙的方法培养孩子从小就学习情绪管理，就相当于给孩子一把感受和珍惜人生之幸福的钥匙.
