Parenting By Nature

Everything that lives is divided into two categories, plant or animal. Humans fall into the animal side. All animals, including humans have certain basic instincts. Animals are inherently born with these. There is a lot of discussion and disagreement in the phycological field about basic instincts. The majority all agree that the first basic instinct is the will to survive. That is where that little voice comes from that tells us, to do what we have to do, to stay alive. The second basic instinct that most agree on is the will to reproduce. I believe it is tied to the first basic instinct, because this is about keeping the species alive. This is why some mothers will inherently give their own life to protect their young. They actually overcome the first basic instinct of survival, in order to keep the species alive.
Have you ever thought about how a baby animal knows where to nurse? Have you thought about why your cat hides its kittens? Do you know why within minutes after being born a fawn is up and able to run? Did you know that when a deer fawn is born, it has no scent. The mother teaches the fawn to hide and lay perfectly still. The spots on a baby fawn are Nature’s camouflage. This way the predators can’t find it. It is all about the basic instinct to survive.
Let’s look at what a whitetail doe deer in the wild will do to keep her offspring alive. This is something I have observed over the fifty plus years of hunting and studying whitetail deer. During the breeding season, a whitetail buck can become very aggressive. They can be aggressive enough to kill a doe’s last year’s fawn. The buck knows that as long as the yearling deer is with its mother, she is not ready to breed. The doe will drive her last year’s fawn away just before she comes in estrus. This is done to protect the yearlings. This is why often times during the breeding season you will see groups of yearling deer band together. Deer are social animals. After the breeding season, the yearlings rejoin their mothers. Whitetail deer are not the only animals to do this. Deer like many other animals teach their offspring by setting the example. I have seen the mother take her front legs and administer discipline when the fawn is doing something the mother things it shouldn’t be. The mother does what it takes to survive and the offspring learn from this example. Even wildlife realize that discipline is necessary at appropriate times. Would you say this is being a participative parent?