I’m reading this awesome book, The Shelter of Each Other by Mary Pipher, and one of her analogies reminded me of all the little baby birds growing on our little property this summer…

“I think of the Colifornia condor, whose babies must peck their way out of tough, thick shells. Many chicks cannot do it and die in the process. One time some scientists tried to help the birds by opening the shells slightly. The birds easily pecked out of the shell, buy they died anyway. They didn’t develop the muscles they needed to survive. Those muscles came from the tough job of pecking out of the shell. Children are like that. Struggle toughens them for the future. The trick is to decide which stresses strengthen children and which weaken them. The important question is what does this child need to grow and develop?”