A Family of Goldfinches

This morning ,while drinking my coffee, I noticed something very unusual at the bird feeder. There were probably 7 or 8 small goldfinches trying to land on the feeder. It appeared that they really had no clue as to what they were doing or even why they were there. They were trying to settle on the roof of the feeder, the shepherds rod holding the feeder, and even on the wind chimes. A few managed to actually make it on to the rail of the feeder but then they just sat there looking around as if to say”we're here now,now what?” It was then that I realized all of them were young birds, they had no clue what to do because they had never been shown. Then mamma and papa showed up. They landed on the feeder and reached in and grabbed seeds and proceeded to feed the young ones. After they had done this a few times the young birds caught on and started to do it themselves and before they left they were all fat and sassy and I suspect they will be back.
What is fascinating to me is that they didn't know what to do. We tend to think of animals and birds as running on instinct and just doing things automatically because they were bred that way, apparently that's not true in every case. They have to be taught some things because they simply don't know what needs to be done, and who taught them? The parents.


There is a lesson to be learned from this.


Children can't just learn through instinct, they need their parents to be involved and to teach them. If we as parents don't teach them right from wrong how are they to learn?


I'll give a personal example. I taught my children, when they were young, that guns were not toys, they were tools that, when used properly, had a purpose but when not can kill. I taught them how to handle the guns and how to shoot. My wife learned as well and she had never handled a gun before meeting me. Now my kids, both teenagers, will not touch them with out my permission or supervision. I taught them a basic principal of right from wrong.


This is not about guns. It's about our society as a whole.


It's as simple as this. We, as parents, need to get back to being involved in our children lives. We need to go back to teaching them right from wrong and disciplining them when needed. We need to stop letting modern society, via the government or the media in all it's forms, determine what is the best way to raise them and take it upon ourselves to teach them.


If Goldfinches can figure it out so can we.