Having Your Ducks In A Row

I know the title speaks of ducks, but this one is about geese.

I once worked at an office that was at the edge of a sanctuary for a migratory geese flight path, so during certain times of the year, the birds from the sanctuary spilled over to the grounds around the buildings. There were geese families everywhere and through my office window, I witnessed multiple geese couples deal with their newborn babies. There were two that were noteworthy in the way they dealt with their babies, and on the same day, I saw one ‘couple’ call to their babies. The babies immediately lined up in a row behind mama and papa, and they all waddled over to the pond at the edge of the grounds, plopped in, and swam away.

The second family was a totally different story. The parents called to their little ones who totally ignored them as they did their thing and scurried around. Mom and dad honked as only geese can, but their children wouldn’t listen, so the frustrated parents turned and headed to the pond without the babies. Interestingly enough, the little ones saw their parents leaving without them and tumbled over themselves to catch up, and eventually, all were in the water, the little ones surrounding the parents, and all were talking at once as they swam to the other side.

Which family did it the right way?

I’m pondering the dynamics this morning, and I definitely see myself in the first set of parents, but I know many who are in the second, so I’ve concluded that there is no ‘right’ way to parent if it gets you to where you want or need to be.

*back to the coffee maker for another as I reminisce*