Mommies learning from Monkeys

Found an old magazine in one of our drawers, flip the pages a little and got caught with one article. It's entitle "Monkey Sense." I want to share it with my readers here because it tells a lesson of motherhood and training a child. Ok, here it goes...


Monkey Sense

In Sierra Leone, West Africa there is a saying: "The monkey doesn't just tell her child,'Hold tight!' She says,'Look down.'" This brings to mind the picture of a young monkey high in the trees, clinging to his mother's back. The idea behind the saying is that if Mama merely says to hold tight, her youngster might do so for a while, but since he doesn't know the reason behind the injunction, he may soon forget and loosen his grip. However, if the youngster looks down, he will see what a long way he is from the ground and will be impressed more forcefully that his life is involve. Why, he could be seriously injured or even killed! Having understood the danger more fully, he has strong reason to hold tight. Now any added commendation or command will be more respected.

What a fine example in teaching others, especially children. The moral of the story is that rather than just issuing commands, it is important to impart understanding. Of course, on occasion there may not be enough time to do so that first. For example, if your child, without careful looking, starts to cross a street busy with moving traffic, you might command him to stop and come back immediately. Giving the command here first is crucial. But then an explanation of the danger the child was in can impart understanding.