Free Bird

When I was outside in my back yard watching the puppy for a bit and being incredibly bored because I was grounded, I found a beautiful blue jay feather. Half of it darkens from charcoal grey to black, while the other half is a mix of light blue and dark blue with black stripes. The very tip of the feather is white. So while Simon (the puppy) romped around the yard for awhile, I sat down on the patio, twirled the feather between my fingers and thought about everything...

Human parenting is a lot similar to avian parenting. The adults nurture and care for their young; building a home/shelter and providing for them. Birds and humans alike show love for their offspring and show them good habits... like brushing their teeth of preening their feathers. They help their offspring grow, protecting them from predators and threats along the way. Every now and then you can look outside and see a large bird colony protecting its young in a shrieking, angry flurry of beaks and feathers. It's the same with humans... just minus the beaks/feathers and add some loud yelling and a few crude hand gestures. Did you know that some species of birds, like Penguins and Flamingos, even have their own "day-care" system in order to look after their young while they gather food? Sounds a bit familiar.

However unlike birds, some humans have a problem with letting their offspring go off on their own. Once young birds reach a certain maturity level, their parents shoo them out of the nest in order for the young ones to fly. The parents still look after them and still show affection, but at a distance. For instance, Blue Jays... they will attack anything they see as a threat (like my cats), yet still leave the offspring independent.

Some human parents refuse, or have trouble doing this. This is especially common with their teenagers who plan on heading off to college. Then it comes down to the will of the kid; who decides that it's time to leave the nest (figuratively) and focus on their future. This bird cannot be caged... she needs to spread her wings and fly.....