Flap Your Wings

A frequently read bedtime book here is Flap Your Wings by P.D. Eastman. It is a tale about an aligator egg accidentally placed in a bird nest. As Ben and I have read the book, I noticed an interesting thing about the two main characters, Mr. and Mrs. Bird.

Mr. Bird is quite confident, happy, and full of "can do" attitude. The illustrations show Mr. Bird with a serene smile on his face through most of the book.

Mrs. Bird on the other hand is always frowning, worrying, and second guessing herself. She is in a chronic state of stress.

It got me thinking about my parenting of Ben, who only sees a funny story about an alligator in a tree. Am I the Mr. Bird parent or the Mrs. Bird parent? I think I'm more like Mrs. Bird, always worrying and wondering about his development and if I'm doing enough for him. It's a very draining way to live.

Mr. Bird seems to have the better time. He worked just as hard as Mrs. Bird but he actually enjoyed the ride. He was content with whatever "his child" threw at him. When his kid failed to fly like a proper bird, he was delighted to see that Junior was an excelent swimmer. Nothing phased his positive outlook. I wish I had more Mr. Bird in me.