I like to tell a story to my son before he goes to bed. I tell various stories, from folklore to religious stories. This time I like to tell you a story that has great moral value. This is universal a value for your kids.

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This is a folklore that has been passed from generation to generation in West Sumatra. There is a stone that resembles a boat and a man who prostrates. The stone is located in Pantai Air Manis beach West Sumatra. The stone existed like a boat. Then, the government of West Sumatra asked a sculpture artist to make a man who is prostrating.

The creation of the statue is based on the folklore of Malin Kundang.
Here is the story of Malin Kundang

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Once upon a time, there lived a widow and her beloved son. Her son's name was Malin Kundang. The woman loved her child very much, but she was a poor widow. She became a food seller for a living.

Malin Kundang grew up. He became a smart and strong man. One day, there was a trader ship that docked on the beach in his village. Maling Kundang begged her mother to go with the ship to a city to struggle for a better life.

"Don't go, Malin; I'm afraid something bad will happen to you over there!" his mother warned.

But Malin Kundang insisted on leaving. Finally, his mother allowed him to go to the city on a boat that docked on the beach in his village.

A year later, his mom waited for his son on the beach if there was a boat that docked. She did not find her son. She did it for years, waiting for her beloved son to go home. She was getting old now.

On the other hand, Malin Kundang was a smart businessman. He did successful trading. He owned some ships with hundreds of crews. He married a beautiful girl from a rich family. They lived happily.

One day, he and his wife sailed on his ship to his homeland. His ship arrived at his village. People were crowded around the coming of a big ship.

There was an old lady with torn and dirty clothes. She stood and saw a handsome man coming out from the ship. The man walked with a beautiful woman. He wore fine clothing.

The old lady confirmed to herself that the man was Malin Kundang , her son.

She ran to the man and said " My son, my son, Malin". She hugged the man tightly.

Malin knew that the woman was his mother, but his wife asked him" Who is this dirty woman?"

Malin said to his wife " He is my mother.".

His wife got angry with Malin Kundang. " You lied to me, You told me that your mom was a rich woman.". His wife did not accept the old lady as her mother-in-law.

Malin Kundang apparently preferred his wife over his mother. He said to the old lady " Go Go, you are not my mother!

Then, Malin Kundang and his ship sailed away. His mother was very sad. He cried alone in her home.

In her sadness, she begged for God. My God, if the man was not my son, forgive him; if he was my son, turn him into stone! Her prayer was granted.

That night, the ship that Malin Kundang and his wife were sailing away was hit by a big storm. The ship broke up and washed ashore on the beach near the village of Malin Kundang. Malin Kundang was still alive.

He begged God for forgiveness and apologized to his mother in a prostrated position. However, God has determined his destiny. Malin Kundang's body suddenly became stiff and finally died in a state where his body turned to be a stone.

Shards of the ship also became stones scattered near Malin Kundang's body, which had turned to be stone too.

The moral value

The majority of West Sumatra's people are Minang people. Minang is well known for migrants and traders. Boys from Minang should go and struggle for a better life overseas.
You can find all Minang ethnicities with Nasi Padang restaurants in all cities in Indonesia. I think some Minang people have also become successful migrants in Malysia, Brunei, Singapore, and other Asean countries. Minang people also became migrants in America, Europe, Australia, and all parts of the world.
In my opinion, this story is a reminder for Minang people, mainly boys, to respect and love their mother though they have been successful and rich in overseas.
From this story, we can take moral value that we should respect and love our mom or dad, whatever she/he is. A mother should also be careful with her words to her son or child. What a mother says can come true for her child, whether it is a bad word or a good one.