Why I'm a Mother Hen

I was thinking about what animal represents me as a mother.  I know weird, but I just was ok?  I though of a grizzly bear, an eagle, a wolf.  But none of those seemed just right. And then I thought of how a mama hen acts with her chicks.  Now most people in America have no idea how a mother hen is because they have never watched one tend to her chicks on a daily basis.   I have had chickens for years and one of my favorite things is watching a mother hen hatch out her own clutch of chicks and shuttle them around. Its really fascinating and endearing.

A mother hen will sit on her eggs for 31 days, only getting up to eat a bit of food, defecate, and drink.  They loose weight during the 31 days and will fiercely peck anything that comes close to her.  When her chicks hatch  she escorts them everywhere clucking softly the whole time.  She will attack any other hen, dog, or cat that comes too near, and will take on predators many times her size fearlessly. She shows her chicks how to eat, what to eat, and generally teaches them how to do things.  A hen can be fierce but they also seem kind of worried at times.  They are always on guard but they are also loving and attentive to their young.  They tirelessly devote themselves to mothering their young.

I guess I'm like that.   My outlook on motherhood has always been that I am educating and guiding future adults.  Which is a delicate balance of protecting them but also teaching them important skills so that they will not just be able to function but also thrive in life.