Parents, Do You Know if Your Child is a Rabbit or Eagle?
Teaching rabbits to fly and eagles to swim is not a productive use of time. Rabbits can do their best to fly but will never be at their best flying. Eagles can do their best to swim but will never be at their best swimming.
The only way rabbits and eagles can be at their best is doing what they’re best at doing. For rabbits that’s running and for eagles that’s flying.
This logic comes from the classic Animal School fable. Unquestionably, this is one of my favorite fables for teeing up discussions on parenting philosophy. The metaphor is one that centers on the choice parents make between raising children by focusing on strengthening their strengths or fixing their weaknesses.
When parents use the Animal School fable as the template, the choice is clear. Just like it’s not productive to force a rabbit to fly and an eagle to swim, it’s not productive to force your child to be an artist if they are an athlete or an athlete if they are an artist.
Therefore, the logical decision on whether a parent focuses on strengthening strengths or fixing weaknesses is an easy one to make.
If parents want to make the most out of the 18-years they have raising a child, then the focus must be first on finding out if their child is a metaphorical rabbit, eagle, or something else. Then, the remaining focus must be on figuring out the best way to empower that child with coaching, tools, and resources to capitalize on their strengths by pursuing mastery.