Wild Babies and Nurturing

This morning, I was reading this Cookseyville Blogpost about baby hummingbirds. Most people, when they find a wild baby, take the baby home and try to raise it. This is well-intentioned, but usually misguided. Most of the time, wild babies are not abandoned. Usually the parents are nearby, anxiously watching. If the baby is left where it is, would-be rescuers often witness the parent come feed its' baby or lead it to safety. It never ceases to amaze me that most people think they can do a mama animals’ job better than the natural mother. No one can. Some people have heard that the mother doesn’t want them back, because “you touched them.” Think again. I cannot tell you how many times we have found baby squirrels, fallen from the trees during storms. When put in a box, out of reach of dogs, the mama squirrel retrieves them, one by one, every time. The Cookseys made the right choice when they noticed the hummingbird nest was missing. They found the babies, and put them back where the parents could find them. What a lovely story.

I know how that mama hummingbird feels. She can do very well most of the time, thank you very much…but every once in awhile, it is nice to have some good help.

Parenting two special needs children has been a consuming task. Each child’s uniqueness doubles the challenge. Life is an ongoing lesson, we are constantly working to find each child’s path. How to cope with school, peers, sensory issues, medical problems; it changes from day to day, and our collective learning is hard-won. We are a team, working to grow up as best we know how. Each year, as school starts, the question is posed: “Will teachers fight us, or be part of the team?”

Sometimes a teacher feels, in their own wisdom, that they know better how to raise this child than we do. Those are the fighters. Then there are the team players, who work with us to assimilate into the school scene, to find places of safety for learning and growing. Have you heard, "It takes a village to raise a child?" And so it does. But only when we all work towards the same goal.

This school year has been a stellar one. I cannot say enough about the teachers who are on our team. My children have made great strides and gained independence. They are happy and growing in ways that I could only have dreamed of just a few years ago. Right now I am feeling a lot like that mama hummingbird, looking at the Cooksey’s through their window. I am grateful for all the people who have helped me nurture my special children.

I have been making end-of-school gifts for a few weeks. I started with these garden pods awhile ago…and then changed my mind. This year, my teammates will get wearable hummingbird nests, in honor of their nurturing and cooperative nature. I am so grateful for the wonderful job they have done!