Idea not totally original. Paraphrasing done. How much do you have to change in a story to ensure that there is no infringement of copyright?

There was once a very wealthy family that lived in the heart of town. They were rich and could afford almost anything, and the children of the family were given whatever toys they wished for. As his eldest son grew older, the father was worried that the boy would become spoilt and arrogant, so he decided to take his son on a trip to the country so that he could see how poor people lived, and would then better appreciate what they had. Father and son spent a week on the farm of what was considered a very poor family.

On their return journey, the father asked his son, “Did you enjoy your trip?”

To his surprise, his son replied, “I loved every minute of it!”

“So, tell me what you learnt from the trip,” the father inquired.

His son answered, “I saw that we have only one dog and they had four. Our pond takes up only half the space in our garden, while their creek reaches out to a shore so far away that we cannot see it. At night, our garden is lit up by artificial lamps, but they have the whole sky full of stars to chase away the darkness.

“Our small piece of land is fenced in and the land to our right and left belongs to our neighbours, but they are free to roam the fields and hills that are adjacent to their house. We rely on the servants who serve us, but they have the ability to tend to their own needs and still have time to serve others. We have to buy our food, but they can live off what they grow in their own farm. We have an alarm system installed in our property to protect us, but their neighbours are always on hand to help fend off danger.

“Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”