Snakes in the Hen House
Two blog
posts I’ve read recently got me thinking.
First,
Suldog @ http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com/2016/04/free-range-children.html
posted about the good old days of
playing baseball on an asphalt lot from morning until the mom’s
started their call to come home somewhere around dusk (my mom used a large bell.) Sully spoke of the
benefits of allowing children to run relatively free back in the day as opposed
to the helicopter parenting that is prevalent today.
I do have to
agree with Sully. There was something
about the freedom we had when neighborhood kids got together without direct
supervision (the mom’s did know what was going on, mom’s have their ways). We made our own rules, learned to get along,
and the older kids watched out for and guided the younger kids into the ways of
the world. We learned to settle most
problems without looking to adults for a ruling. There were fights from time to time, but they
were few and far between. Combatants of
these battles often ended up as fast friends.
The other
post was from Rick Watson @ http://www.rickwatson-writer.com/2016/04/fingers-crossed.html. He posted about a snake in his hen house that
scared a laying hen and two newly hatched chicks out of their nest. Rick found one egg that was left behind with
a chick wiggling out of its egg. The
chick did not survive despite Rick’s valiant efforts, but what interested me
was the hen leaving the nest.
Apparently
once a snake was present, even though Rick removed it, the hen would no longer
stay in the nest. It took the two chicks
and left for what she thought was a safer place. Rick could not even get close enough to the
hen to take pictures as the hen was so protective.
How do these
two posts stimulate my brain? What could
possibly be the similarities?
Sully
lamented on the helicopter parents of today, and yet here was a chicken, not
the brightest of nature’s creatures, with the same helicopter instincts. When there was a snake in the house, the hen
moved out and guarded her chicks with her life.
The asphalt
lot of days gone by, where young children could safely play, now have an
occasional snake. Changing populations,
the ability for snakes to roam neighborhoods freely without raising suspicions
have alerted moms of snakes in the hen house.
Even if there is no direct threat of these snakes, they have been
spotted, they have disturbed the hen house, and moms no longer trust the safety
of the play ground.
Helicopter
parenting today is the result of snake alerts, real or imagined, and today’s
moms have the same instincts of the hen.
If there is the hint of danger they will move to safer grounds and will
hover until they are sure there is no danger.
I don’t think moms have changed much from those moms of many years ago; it is the neighborhoods that have changed. We no longer know everyone on the block and most people on the block no longer look out for their neighbors the same as when everyone looked the same, went to the same church, spoke with the same accent, ate the same foods and had the same values. When you don’t know all your neighbors, you don’t know if there are snakes, and not knowing is all it takes for moms to become protective hens.
I don’t think moms have changed much from those moms of many years ago; it is the neighborhoods that have changed. We no longer know everyone on the block and most people on the block no longer look out for their neighbors the same as when everyone looked the same, went to the same church, spoke with the same accent, ate the same foods and had the same values. When you don’t know all your neighbors, you don’t know if there are snakes, and not knowing is all it takes for moms to become protective hens.
Over
protective? Perhaps, but as long as the
hen house safety is suspect, instincts take over; and don't mess with a protective mom!
I think you've got a good point. I'm not buying this whole bathroom thing. I liked Borepatch's example XX on one door, XY on another.
ReplyDeleteThere have always been snakes - today, they just get more exposure on media. Luckily, I live in a place where my grandchildren can still run free and explore. I use a loud bell to call them home for dinner. Wild animals are more a concern than people.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of it in that way, but you're right.
ReplyDeleteI think you are spot on - there have always been snakes but in the past we knew who they were and could avoid them. These days we don't know our neighbours and a mother assumption has to be that they may be snakes and to keep our children safe.
ReplyDeleteTwo interesting articles. Re kids: I think if we could get back to the ways of yesteryear there would be less teenage depression and suicides. I don't know if it's the same in US but the UK seems to be breeding teenage murderers.
ReplyDeleteI think the media plays into our fears. There's not a predator on every street, but we are made to fear that, so our kids are stuck inside or at planned activities.
ReplyDeleteThe snakes were always there. Girls of Tender Age: A Memoir was a book that hit very close to home for my husband and his family, but I could easily relate to the time and the social mores of the story as well. You make an excellent point and I love reminders to not be so quickly judgmental--frankly, quite needed after your previous post (she said judgmentally).
ReplyDeleteYep, you sized this up very nicely.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day Joe. ☺
I have to agree that the media is really good about preying on a mother's fears. They also encourage others to do terrible things so they can get their name up in lights on the news. Just glad I'm not a parent of young uns. I'm sure I'll be a helicopter grandparent if I ever become one.
ReplyDeleteIt was easier when I was young; as long as my mom kept the dinosaurs at bay!!
ReplyDeleteOh, I absolutely agree. It is the neighborhoods that have changed but I have always been that "better to be safe than sorry" mom and I've always followed my gut instinct. I think it's a shame that kids don't have the freedom to play as we did back then but I also think it's a shame that so many snakes have surfaced that have, in essence, taken that freedom away.. Great post Joe.
ReplyDeleteIn the olden days snakes were much easier to identify, and authorities weren't so eager to protect their rights instead of the victim's.
ReplyDeleteI think it is sad that kids today don't have the freedom we had but I agree with Barb. The snakes have always been there but get more publicity these days thus the parents are more on guard. I ran into three pretty nasty snakes when I was younger but luckily escaped unharmed. My parents only knew about one and my Dad chased after him with a ball bat but never caught him. Today, the police would be involved and it would be on the six o'clock news which is only a plus.
ReplyDeleteI suspect similar dangers lurked when we were kids, too, they just weren't publicized. Were some of our neighbors wife beaters or child abusers? Probably, but we/I never even thought of those things back then. We were the most innocent of innocents. At least now we know what to look for, and that's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of your commenters. The snakes were always there. Now we are just hyper aware of them. But no matter how or when they show up, if the chickens aren't careful, they can do a lot of damage.
ReplyDeleteThere were snakes then, but the kids knew each other and banded together and watched out for each other, so it was harder for them to wriggle through. All the moms were watching, too, in their own way.
ReplyDeleteToday, there's not the watching out for each other.
I do not like snakes so I kind of skimmed this post. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteAround these parts, it's common practice to chop the head off a snake with a garden hoe.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out Joe. That was a great analogy you pulled from these two posts.
ReplyDeleteWhen Jilda and I were in Ireland secretly years ago we bought lunch and ate it in a park in Tullamore. We noticed a bunch of kids playing in the park alone. Neither of us could see an adult anywhere. It was like it was when we were kids. You rarely see that theses days.
Rick
I totally agree with what you said. Times have changed from our youth and when we grew up. We are just going into protection mode like that hen did for her chicks. Our parents indeed would have done the same if danger lurked close by.
ReplyDeletebetty
Good analogy!
ReplyDeleteI agree with others who mentioned media. With instant communication and access these days, the snakes are overly stimulated and overly confident.
True, lots of coddling, helicopter parents nowadays... I don't know what to think about that. Time will tell.