crows & songbirds

Happy august 1st. new months are lovely, aren’t they?

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I recently heard a story on the radio that I found worthy of sharing. Not just a reminder for me as a mom, but for everyone, as I think too often complaining is a default setting in this culture. 

I was listening to Focus on the Family (on 95.3FM) and Moms were asked to call in and share stories about their children - lessons they had learned, memories they had or how God has used their children to impact them positively.

 

The woman speaking shared a story about her daughter. She explained her daughter, who was about four years old at the time, had developed a habit of complaining. She described her daughter as being “whiney when she didn’t get her way.” She and her husband had tried a few different ways to encourage their daughter to stop complaining and break her habit, however, nothing seemed to work.

 

One day while the mother and her daughter were taking a walk through their neighborhood, they heard a group of noisy crows. The mother pointed out the sound of the crows to her daughter. They continued walking and heard songbirds singing. The mother pointed out the sound of the songbirds to her daughter. She asked her daughter which sound she liked better. Naturally, her daughter preferred the songbirds. The mother explained that when she complains and whines, she sounds more like a crow. But when she is positive and has a good attitude (even if she doesn’t get her way), she sounds more like the songbird. 

Time passed and the mother still found her daughter complaining from time to time. When she did, the mother continued to remind her of the walk they took, asking her “Now would you rather be like the noisy crows or the songbirds we heard?” Over time, her daughter’s habit of complaining faded away, and the mother said to this day, she and her husband call her their “little songbird.”

A good reminder for all of us. 

I know there are days that I sound more like a noisy crow, and by God’s grace, I am surrounded by people that love me even on my noisiest days. Dustin, my husband, always seems to be a songbird…he never complains and he doesn’t sweat the small stuff. 

(Thank you God for pairing us together ever so perfectly)

I know how much influence I have over the people that surround me, and even more so now, over Olivia. I want her to grow up seeing my positive attitude even when life gets frustrating. While some days it is challenging, it takes being intentional with your words, and I hope she grows up learning how to be a songbird from me.