David was ‘doing’ a project on the human body at school. He was learning all about the skeleton and how the bones helped support the body. He learnt about all the major organs such as the brain and lungs and how the heart pumped blood around the body to every muscle.
On Friday his teacher Mrs. Clarke set the class homework.
“This weekend I want you to think about what is the most important part of the human body and come back and tell the class on Monday.”
When David got home that night he told his dad all about his homework.
“Well, I think the most important part of the body must be the brain, after all that’s what we think with” said David’ dad.
David thought this was a very good answer and make hid mind up that he would choose the brain as the most important part of the human body for his presentation on Monday.
On Saturday grandma came round for morning coffee and David told her about his homework and how he had chosen the brain. “Well, I don’t know about that” said grandma, “personally I think the heart is the most important organ. Without your heart pumping blood around your body you’d soon be dead”.
David thought this was also a very good answer. Now he had to choose which one and he wasn’t sure which to choose.
Later in the afternoon David went with his mum to buy some grocers from the small corner shop at the end of the road. David said hello to Mr. Khan the shopkeeper who he knew well and told him all about his homework, and how he was having trouble choosing. He hoped Mr. Khan would help, but Mr. Khan said “well I think the stomach is the most important organ. If you didn’t have a stomach you wouldn’t be able to eat and you’d soon starve to dead”.
“Oh dear” thought David “that’s a good answer too. Now I’ve got three ideas to choose from”.
On Sunday afternoon he was playing in the garden when he overheard his mum and Mrs. Jones the next door neighbour talking over the fence. Perhaps Mrs. Jones can help he thought, so he told her all about his homework. But Mrs. Jones said that she thought your hands were the most important part of the body because without them you couldn’t do almost anything, including washing, dressing and feeding yourself.
“Oh no thought” David “now I’ve got four ideas to choose from!” David though hard about his homework all that afternoon and evening but when it came to bedtime he still hadn’t decided. He realised he hadn’t asked mum so he explained to his mum how he was having difficulty choosing between the brain, heart stomach and hands as the most important part of the human body.
David’s mum thought long and hard. “Well you know, I don’t think that any one part of the body is more important than any other. We need all of our organs to make the body work properly, including those we don’t often think of. Why don’t you pop up to bed and I’ll have a think. We can make a decision when we have your bedtime story”.
David went upstairs changed into his pyjamas and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth but as he went into the bathroom he stubbed his toe on the bathroom door.
“Ow, ow, ow”, screamed David at the top of his voice. The pain was so bad it bought tears to his eyes.
Davis’ mum came running up the stairs.
“What on earth has happened”? she asked.
“I’ve hurt my toe” said David in between sobs of pain.
“Oh dear, that can be very painful” said David’s mum “but d’you know what”?
“What” said David?
“I think you’ve just found the most important part of the human body”, and even through his tears of pain David managed a smile and a laugh.
