Mother Hen

5th of January 2022.

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of mother's (my mother included) hovering over their children, making sure that nothing bad happens to them.

It’s common for a mother to make sure her son/daughter has his/her hat on before they leave the house, or that her daughter/son has an umbrella when it’s raining outside, or even moving in with them after college. It’s sweet and caring, but it also doesn’t give the child the space and opportunity to grow up.

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I heard the story of a woman(I'll call her mother hen)

She is a mother hen, who over the years has fussed over the state of our economy. In her mind, there were two camps: the poor and the rest of us. She told her daughter that they were better off than most people; they had their own home and didn’t struggle too much.

Away from home, she would listen to the radio or watch late-night talk shows, where she learned of the financial struggles of others. She would feel guilty for not giving more to charity and then feel depressed that she couldn’t afford to give more.

But around 2008 or 2009, something changed in the household. The daughter started showing signs of rebellion. Though she was a good student and excelled in sports, she told her mother she no longer wanted to go to her all-girls school.

She wanted to take public transportation, go to museums and visit shops downtown. The mother refused to give her permission.

She was so overprotective of her daughter. One day, the daughter told the mother hen that she would visit a faraway land where she could learn to be a pirate. The mother hen was furious.

"This is a terrible idea!"

The mother hen clipped the daughter's wings and closed her windows and doors. The mother hen said, "My child, you are not strong enough to sail across the sea."

"I have many talents," the daughter explained. She could dance on top of a starfish, perform magic with shells and turn water into rum. "I will sail across the sea, with or without my wings."

The daughter set sail in a boat made from wood and cardboard, with an ocean-blue sail that was tied with string. She sailed across the ocean, toward her destiny.

"I'm going! I'm going!" she exclaimed.

The mother hen could not hold back her tears.

The mother hen who has never allowed her daughter try anything new because she thought she would fail and get hurt.

To her surprise, the daughter ran as fast as she could away from home.

The daughter had a solo in a play and she was very nervous about it because she had never been on stage before. While she was on stage, the daughter thought about her mother and felt guilty for leaving her. When it came time for the solo the daughter flew across the stage and landed on her feet. The audience cheered.

After the show, the daughter went back outside and flew like a bird in the sky.

I had noticed my mother's protective nature when I started dating. She banned boys from her house, wouldn't let me stay overnight at my friend's house, and had a policy that I didn't tell her where we were going unless it was to a public event.

The idea of a "boyfriend" was on the same level as "drinking" and "partying."

The first time I went to my male friend's house she asked if "the neighbours were home."

"Why?" I responded.

She then told me to text him and ask if any of his parents' cars were in the driveway. Then she gave me her phone and said, "Call him and make sure he answers."

I was shocked.

One day my daughter asked me: “A daughter is like a leaf in the wind. Do you know what happens if it breaks?”

Feeling hurt, I replied: “Leaves fall from trees. Leaves turn brown and die.”

“Yes”, my mother answered. “And daughters also fall from their parents, turning brown and dying like leaves.”

So, mothers are always very protective of their children, on a side it's good but when it's too consistent then it might be very annoying and might make the child rebel.