How do people who give, think ?

Every morning, my 4-year-old neighbor greets me after waking up. Today, during his daily ritual of greeting me, he noticed a sparrow resting on one of our windows and screamed with joy and excitement that he had spotted it. He ran towards the bird, trying to catch it. Unfortunately, the poor bird couldn't differentiate between a little boy's excited screams and an angry man's exasperations, so it flew away in fear. My poor little friend got disappointed and turned to me with a sad face but hopeful eyes.

Sad face because he wasn't able to catch it, hopeful eyes because somewhere inside he's thinking that I would get him a bird next time I go out, just like how I brought him chocolates secretly after his mom said no to eating chocolates.

Moments after he left, I caught my brain still thinking about the boy and the bird. Should I tell him that he should let that bird fly and show him to take pleasure in its flight? Or should I give him a real bird, locked up in its metal cage, and teach him how to feed it, calling it kindness? Or should I bring him a toy bird that moves and makes sounds every time someone winds up its key and get him to believe that it's a real one? Which one would he approve of the most? How would he recall this memory when he grows old? When would he know that someone had put this much thinking and effort into granting him his little, unasked-for wish? Would he even?

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