Another inspiring story translation from tamil forward by my mother Anjana.

A gardener one day saw a bird’s nest in his garden. Out of curiosity he peeped inside and saw a few eggs laid inside it.
Next day he was happy to see small tiny cracks on the eggshells. He realised th eggs are getting ready to hatch . His curiosity increased.
For the he next few days , every day he will see the how the eggs are and happy to see the cracks getting bigger. His expectations kept on increasing.
One day he saw the eggs moving and the little tiny birds were struggling inside to break open the wall and come out of their confined space .
He felt sad for the birds as they have to struggle so much. He wanted to help them . So he softly made the cracks big enough to make their work easy.
The next morning he went with lot of expectations to see the little birds out of the eggs without struggle. He was disappointed to see there was no change. It was same as he had kept the day before.
For the next couple of days it went on. The eggs remained the same . There was no movement. Then one day he was shocked to see lot of ants all over the eggs and found all the tiny birds dead inside.
His heart ached to see this . He was very sad. His friend who saw him asked the reason. When he told what had happened , his friend told, ” You are the reason for their death. Out of your love n expectation you killed them. “

“Me ? How?”
“Yes , only you are responsible.
When the little birds are ready to come out , their little wings and legs will move slowly giving it strength. It will break open the shell with the help of its beak n body. It is a natural process . If you had left it their way by now all the little ones must have come out and flew from their nest in a few days. A normal delivery would have happened.
The gardener was shattered when he realised his folly.
As parents we are doing the same to our children. We protect them with so much care and precautions to safe guard them from any pain or suffering.
We fail to make them know the value of sweat, the worth of labour and the struggling path to success. We want to give them all ready in a platter. Our mentality is’ I’ve suffered a lot. My children should not’.
We forget that our overprotective love will make them weak and some day when they face life with its realities , they will suffer.
Let us make them walk the path and watch them grow as individuals with inner strength. When needed be there to guide. How long can they walk catching your fingers. Let them walk alone. Let them fall and learn to rise on their own. Let them make their own path . Watch them from a distance. Applaud them.
This is not a bird’s story.
It is a life lesson for our children.