Human Parents vs Bird Parents
While I have to admit I am not a parent in the conventional sense. We are parents to our 10 year old yorkie/chihuahua mix, Maggie which has been both challenging and rewarding. However, I am over fifty years of age and have been around a ton of parents and have heard about their struggles and triumphs. So, let me give you a light-hearted breakdown of the major issues facing both kinds of parents.
Birth
Human parents hope the child is born without complications and completely healthy. Bird parents hope nobody breaks into their house and harms their offspring before they’re born.
Growth
Human parents want their children to flourish so they can be parents themselves one day. Bird parents hope their babies get old enough to have children of their own.
Leaving The Nest
Human parents are divided between how much they’ll miss their kids when they leave the house and how nice it will be to have the house to themselves again. Bird parents can’t wait for their young to get out of the nest so they can stop carrying those damn fecal sacs in their beaks-yuck! Still, feeding them wherever the youngsters happen to land can get very tedious.
Education
Human parents want their children to get whatever education they need to succeed in life. Whether they choose to go to college and career or are entrepreneurial minded, they want them to get the tools they need. Bird parents need their children to learn a whole bunch of stuff very quickly so that they will grow up-period!
Socialization
Human parents want their kids to learn how to get along and work with many different types of people. You never know what opportunities will present themselves if you’re open to them. Bird parents want their children to learn to work with other birds, regardless of their social status, to help each other survive from predatory attacks.
Diet
Human parents want their kids to eat food that will help them grow big and strong. They help them learn the best places to get food that will support that goal. Ditto for bird parents.
Vacations
Although they can be some of the most stress-filled ventures, human parents still want to take their kids on trips so they can see more of the world together. The parents of migratory birds feel the stress too! They may need to make long trips with their families in order to survive. Along the way, they’ve got to contend with lack of food or water, the elements and predation.
Both of these parents, I’m sure, will have fond memories to look back on in their later years.
Calling All Parents!
As I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch, could you please help me fill in the blanks here! Leave me a comment on your favorite comparisons between human and bird parents.
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