I watched two geese, suspected to be a male and female on a Friday afternoon, taking care of their newly hatched goslings ( baby birds). They were seven in number, and were trying to find their feet after their birth. Their parents were obviously trying to move to another location that they thought was safer for their young ones. Immediately the geese led the way, the goslings followed, but were slow as expected. They were a few minutes old, but one of them was very slow. It was apparent that this particular one was not looking well and kept a far distance from the others, not because it did not like its siblings but because it was not as healthy,and so could not walk as fast as the others. It was really struggling to survive, walking and falling but desirous of following the group.
There were a few passersby at this time, which made it important that the sick bird be protected by its parents. Now you can see the role of a parent in action.
One of the parents, suspected to be the gander( male geese), noticed this and waited behind to see that his child was not taken away by a stranger. He stood by it, looked at the young bird and sort of signaled and said something like” try and get up, let’s go, it’s not safe for you” It was a big challenge for it to move. The other goose, suspected to be the female saw the situation and came back to where her sick baby was. She started crying and raised her head up. She made a warning sign like “don’t move near” and stood there for a while. She then decided to start walking back to where they started from , probably when it became obvious that her baby cannot make it to their destination. All these happened for more than half hour. Immediately she turned back, the other goslings followed but the sick bird was struggling. The distance from where they departed was shorter, and so the journey was easier for the sick bird. They were back to their initial position.
At this position, the gander( male goose) stood up, lifted its head high up, made some fearful noise and was ready to attack any passersby that came near his children. It was beside the regular entrance to a Mosque and it was time for the Friday prayers. More and more people tried to get in, but it was a mini war as the gander tried to attack them. Everyone was forced to go through another entrance to get in because of the fear of being attacked by this “protective dad”. From this, I learnt a few things
1. A parent will always be protective of their young ones; human or animals
2. Sometimes, a parent is just helpless in some situation. Human being may seek help from others, pray and get support. Animals don’t have many choices other than to attack
3. Both parents are very important in the lives of a child. Let us treat them well & equally
4. Sometimes when it is difficult to go forward, you take a step back, look inward, plan, focus and you will move forward .
5. God speaks to us every day through different medium. It is just for us to listen, understand and act accordingly. In about 45 minutes, many passers-by were watching, taking pictures, recording videos and giving glorification to God. I also decided to take pictures and write about my experience. Hope you learn something. Have a blessed weekend.
May God protect our children , grant those who desire them and make us good parents amen
