The title says it all. Nature truly is amazing and yes, even awesome. Witnessing first hand the infinite patience of a tiny bird as she sits day after day protecting and incubating  her young is a lesson well worth observing. She seems so fragile and vulnerable and one wonders ... is she eating enough? Is she getting enough exercise ? Will she really be able to stay so still until the fledglings arrive  ? How does she do it ? But just come too close and you will very quickly see just how much strength and courage a tiny bird possesses. She suddenly becomes a protector and instinctively does what is necessary to protect her wee ones.

If she is fortunate she has  a partner who does an admirable job of providing the bulk of the necessary nourishment and aids in the protection of the nest but the hours of tedium are for the most part solely her responsibility. How she does it still makes me  stand in awe of nature's wonder.

 Having had the experience of watching our canaries as they have gone through much the same process  several times in the past year or so did serve to provide some knowledge of what to expect.  But for a bird exposed to the elements and dangers of the outdoors to be so wonderfully maternal was truly magnificent for a mere human to observe. The patience it must take to sit there hour after hour, day after day, knowing that at any time a predator could appear and ravage the nest and it's contents made me want to stand guard over that nest and it's owner until her job was finished. Obviously this would not have been any more acceptable to her than the possible arrival of the aforementioned predator so I put that idea on hold ... well, almost. I did keep  an eye on her several times a day and made very sure that food was readily available for those times when she did seek sustenance.

 Nature certainly has patterns much different from humans. We spend nine months awaiting the arrival of our offspring and the rest of our lives caring for or worrying about their welfare. It really is true that from the day our children are born until the day we die we never really stop worrying about them. Nature is so much more intelligent about parenting. They await their arrival with the same devotion as we do, they care for the young as long as they are needed and once the wee ones  are independent and able to care for themselves the parent pays no attention whatsoever, and in fact I wonder if they even remember that that feathered being  is their offspring.  If you think about it .. it makes good sense that they adopt this attitude. Look at all the worry and heartache they save themselves !

 Of course I am kidding  but there is merit in nature's way of dealing with letting go. So many of us find it so very difficult to accept that our children no longer require parenting, to the detriment of our children as well as ourselves. Once we have raised our children, and have provided them with the solid foundation from which they can properly deal with life, we do them no favour by refusing to allow them to fly free of encumbrance from their parents. We gave them life, we didn't loan it to them. It is theirs to do with as they wish. If they have received the proper grounding their feet will be firmly planted and they will do just fine without our interference.

 If we have done our job well we will have produced a treasured lifetime friend who cherishes the friendship and mutual respect  we share and the time spent together will be golden moments for both you and your child,  which both parties look forward to with anticipation and pleasure. If you cling, the visits become obligations to be endured and the frequency is dictated by the degree of guilt generated by your attitude. It is most assuredly infinitely more pleasurable to know that your children  are with you because it is their wish to be  there.

Of a certainty, there will be times when  knowing that Mom or Dad is there to provide a hug when needed or just to listen will be very welcome but the impetus must come from them. After all, you raised them to be independent and their own person. Too late to change the rules now ! In any case, wouldn't you much rather know that the hug is very much wanted and of real value to your child ? There is another big plus as well. The worry you will not have to live with  because you know that you prepared your children well for life and it's  pitfalls.

When we make our children dependent on us  they are too often never strong enough to cope with what they will encounter as adults. You will have done them no favour and they will resent that dependence, and you,  in the years to come.

Our children are the source of so much joy as we watch them develop into persons in their own right. The memories you will have of those years when Mommy and Daddy were at the centre of their daily lives will provide such pleasure in the years to come. Enjoy every moment. Good and bad. For there will be bad times too. And the time will come when Mommy and Daddy can't make everything better as they did when the children were tiny and so were the problems.

As they begin to broaden their horizons other influences over which you have no control will  become part of the equation. Be there,  but interfere only when  your assistance is   absolutely necessary or solicited. Raising children  is no walk in the park but even the bad days will bring smiles in the years to come. Time has a way of blurring and softening the rough spots so they become only a tiny part of the journey and with perspective take on a lustre because even those times were a part of the life of your child in which you were blessed to share.

Sounds like a tall order doesn't it ! Yep, nature may have it right. But nature's creatures  don't  have the memories you will have so I suppose it all evens out.