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Embryology Lesson
By mstrohm | March 15, 2009
chicks
It was my privilege this week to listen to a lesson on the development of chicken eggs. The third grade teacher explained to her pupils the difficult struggle a chick will go through in an effort to break out of its egg. Each child listened as the teacher explained that even with a special egg tooth, the struggle is immense. Just to break a small hole in the egg is so exhausting it typically results in the chick resting for more than an hour. The teacher used her charts to showed the egg pecking pattern and explained how the struggle could last a day and often resulted in the chick resting so heavily that it might look dead.
Because the students would all be experiencing the hatching of chicks in the coming weeks, they were all warned not to touch and never to help the chick in its struggle. To do so would bring serious consequences including possible deformities and even death. As you could imagine, the students were quite surprised that such a large struggle could possibly be so critical to the well being of the chick. As they learned, the difficult struggle was essential to blood flow and strengthening the chick’s body and wings.
As I was writing up the lesson observation I reflected on how several students were confused. Wouldn’t it be compassionate to help the chick in its struggle? The realization that what appeared to be compassionate would actually cause deformities was difficult for the 9 and 10 year olds to understand.
I see many parents who experience the same confusion when it comes to wanting their child to avoid the struggles and sufferings of life. In an effort to make things better parents will complain to the coach for not playing their child enough. Excuses are made when their child does not get school work done and blame is cast if their child does not finish first. I can’t help but wonder if the consequences to a child’s emotional well being are just as severe as to the chick’s physical wel being when parents try to protect children from natural consequences. Maybe life’s bumps and bruises are vital to children’s emotional development. I wonder if the child’s emotional deformities from over protection are just as drastic as the chick’s phisical deformities.
I am sure there will be an entire class of third graders who will be lending support and prayer while chicks go through a great struggle. Those 3rd grade students will be sharing in great joy as each chick is born. But none will dare interfere with God’s plan for the hard physical journey they now know will be key to the development of the chick. Parents, please give your child prayer, biblical advice and support! But, before you interfere in an effort to make life “better” for your child, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons, lest your child grow up underdeveloped emotionally. Recognize that many of the typical childhood difficulties are actually part of the maturing process that God has designed. As parents we can take a lesson from a class of third grade students!
Mark Strohm, Jr.
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