Daily Joke: Parable from a Father to His Son on the 4th of July about Abraham Lincoln

Today's joke is about a young boy who was playing in the yard when he knocked over the family outhouse and ran into the woods to avoid punishment.

During the 1820s, a young boy was playing in the yard behind his home. He was pretending to be a great hero who was fighting off the enemies to save his family.

However, during a pretend-fighting game, he knocked over the family outhouse. He was upset and worried that would get in trouble, so he ran into the woods in a panic and to avoid punishment.

He stayed in the woods until it was dark, then decided to venture back home where his father was waiting on the front porch. His father then asked him, "Son, did you knock down the outhouse today?"

The young boy was nervous as he did not want to be punished, so he said, "No, father, I did not." The father then said, "Okay, son, because it is the 4th of July, let me tell you a story about when Abraham Lincoln was a boy."

"His father had just given him a brand-new ax. He was trying it out on a tree. He chopped down the tree but then realized it was his mother's favorite cherry tree. So he ran into the woods to hide.

"Later, after he returned home, his father said to him, 'Abraham, did you cut down the cherry tree?' Abraham then said, 'Father, I cannot tell a lie. I did cut down mother's favorite cherry tree.'"

"Lincoln's father looked at him and said, 'Well, son, because you told me the truth, I will spare you from punishment.'" Once the father was finished with his story, he asked his son, "So son, tell me, did you knock over the outhouse?"

"Father, I cannot lie to you now. Yes, I did knock over the outhouse." With that, his father spanked him until he was red, white, and blue. Through tears, the boy said, "Dad, I told you the truth! Why did you spank me?"

The father responded, "Well, my boy, that is because Abraham Lincoln's father was not in the tree when he chopped it down!"