- By MARLENE A. CONDON
- May 11, 2025
Courtesy of Marlene A. Condon
My mother, who is now deceased, was always there for her children. She didn’t excuse or condone anyone’s bad behavior or the poor choices they made in life, but she didn’t nag about it and was always right there to help us when needed.
Her behavior represents to me the true meaning of a mother’s love. You could do something stupid, such as when one of my older brothers totaled his car by speeding and losing control of it (thank goodness he wasn’t seriously injured), but he knew he could call home, and my mother would come to get him and help him deal with the situation.
On this Mother’s Day, I’d like to offer a tribute to all moms, whether human or not. I’ve amassed fascinating accounts of wildlife behavior that I feel can provide valuable, insightful lessons for folks. Herewith, a couple of those accounts that might guide you on your own journey through life.
Tough love
When people have children, they sometimes find it difficult to make responsible adults out of them. When your heart is full of love, it can be emotionally painful to take the steps necessary to, for example, push your children “out of the nest” to make their own way in life.
Yet, practicing “tough love” when necessary to accomplish this goal is vital, as it’s the whole point of parenting. A mama raccoon can illustrate how it’s done and why it’s so essential for her kits (and your children) to “grow up” when the time is right.
Young raccoons are born helpless (like human babies) in spring and are completely dependent upon “mom” for survival (the dads, like some human ones, are absentee fathers not involved in raising their young because, unlike with humans, they needn’t assist). She provides them with warmth, mother’s milk, and protection from harm.
At about three months of age, they begin to be weaned from her milk and to learn crucial survival skills by accompanying her as she travels around seeking food and shelter. It takes many months for the kits to master these activities, but they have grown enough by the following spring to become independent.
However, like some human children, they don’t feel confident enough to leave their mothers. They continue to follow her, but she is pregnant and knows she can’t continue taking care of this older brood and a new one. Consequently, she’s forced to employ tough love. As the kits try to share food or be close to her, she angrily barks or snaps at them.
Yes, you can recognize emotion in animal voices. After all, the mama raccoon needs to make clear that the kits are no longer welcome and must move away. How else can we convey that message other than by using the same emotional tones humans employ?
This heartbreaking scenario is difficult to witness; you feel sorry for the young animals that so obviously do not want to leave their mom. But you know intellectually that those kits are ready to behave as adults, so that life can be perpetuated.
Love in its purest form
While you might feel the mama raccoon in this story is cruel or heartless, I can say I’ve witnessed a mother raccoon exhibiting great patience and love for her baby.
Years ago, I placed a Chimney Swift box on a tall radio tower in my yard. I hoped that this species would use the box for nesting. That situation never happened, but a female raccoon decided one year to use the box as a den for her babies.
One day, I heard a plaintive cry (I have microphones outside my house for research) that indicated an animal in distress. I immediately looked out and saw a small, young raccoon running around in circles at the base of the tower, obviously quite distraught. I realized it must have fallen from the box and felt helpless. I couldn’t possibly catch it nor get it back to the box (about 20 feet off the ground), even if I could!
But not to worry. I noticed the mother raccoon calmly climbing down the tower to retrieve her baby. Just as you see a mother cat do, she picked up the young-un by the scruff of its neck and made the arduous journey back up the tower—a vertical climb made quite difficult by the force of gravity—carrying that baby by her teeth.
It was a stupendous feat, illustrating a mother’s love, devotion, and concern for her offspring. I see my mother in this raccoon’s dedication to her family, as the raccoon seemed to do what she knew had to be done. That’s love in its purest form.
You must be logged in to post a comment.