A story for parents whose chicks are leaving the nest

Frank Sanchez saw that there were many parents among the auditorium full of entering college freshmen. As the convocation for new students drew to a close, Frank, my university’s associate vice chancellor of student life, shared this story:

The eagle gently coaxed her offspring toward the edge of the nest. Her heart quivered with conflicting emotions as she felt their resistance to her persistent nudging. “Why does the thrill of soaring have to begin with the fear of falling?” she thought. This ageless question was still unanswered for her.

As in tradition of the species, her nest was located high on the shelf of a sheer rock face. Below there was nothing but air to support the wings of each child. “Is it possible that this time it will not work?” she thought. Despite her fears, the eagle knew it was time, her parental mission was all but complete. There remained one final task – THE PUSH.

The eagle drew courage from an innate wisdom. Until her children discovered their wings, there was no purpose for their lives outside the nest. Until they learned to soar, they would fail to understand the privilege it was to have been born an eagle. The push was the greatest gift she had to offer. It was her supreme act of love. And so, one by one, she pushed them — and they flew!

I later asked Frank where he got the story. He said Samantha Ortiz, the dean of students, gave it to him. Sam told me she picked it up from a previous college she worked at, but wasn’t sure where it originated.

An Internet search reveals the story comes from the book, Even Eagles Need a Push by international business speaker David McNally. The search returned more than 100 instances when this story was used, most often in educational rites of passage.

Now that’s a story with wings.