Yesterday I had stopped at a traffic signal. As I waited for the lights to turn green, a small boy approached me. He was holding a bunch of pens in his hand. He asked me to buy some. I told him I didn't need any. He gave me a beseeching look explaining that they were very cheap. The boy had a sweet innocent face and looked tired of trying to sell his pens. I had seen him going to others but no one bought any of his pens. My friend who was with me suggested to give some money to the boy so he wouldn't bother us. I did give him money by buying two of his pens.
I explained to my friend that her suggestion would have been a deterrent to the small boy's effort to earn some money instead of begging for help. She agreed and we went on our way. The boy was trying to help his family by doing something. This I thought was commendable.