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Flaco the Flying Metaphor!

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Read Time: 2 minutes

Just one month ago, Flaco the owl was sprung from New York’s Central Park Zoo. Until then the Eurasian Eagle Owl had lived a very safe and sleepy life in, basically, an owl living room. He had a tree to perch in, a mural to look at, and the owl equivalent of Door Dash — food delivered to him by zookeepers. He didn’t even have to tip.

But when his mesh enclosure was snipped open by some miscreant on Feb. 2 (and I swear it wasn’t me), suddenly that spoon-fed, molly-coddled creature rose to the occasion. Literally. He flew out into the city that so many people consider synonymous with crime and chaos, without so much as a MetroCard.

Could he figure out how to fly further than 15 feet in each direction? Stay safe? Find food?

THE IMPACT OF FREEDOM (AND MAYBE A LITTLE FEAR)

Readers: He has done all that and more. He is king of the forest — and columnist catnip. As one such NY Times piece reports, it turns out all Flaco really needed was a little trust and a little freedom. Neither were offered by the zoo, but when he got them, he became a new bird. Curious, capable, captivating.

The parallels to young people are so painfully obvious, all I can say is: In my line or work I have seen this time and again. Parents, terrified to let their kids go, are given a little push and — poof! They are flabbergasted and fulfilled to see how much their kids can do. Far from feeling like useless castoffs, the parents are elated: “I had no idea my son was so capable!” “If I’d known how much she could do, I’d have let her start a lot sooner.” “He seems so much more confident — and so am I!”

PARENTS, SCHOOLS: RAISE A FLOCK OF FLACO KIDS!

Want to feel that same heady mixture of relief, amazement and joy? Download the Let Grow Independence Kit. It’s got some simple suggestions for how to start letting go. Or, better still, ask your child’s school or teacher to assign The Let Grow Project, where students K-12 get the homework assignment, “Go home and do something new, on your own, without your parents.”

When a bunch of kids ALL start doing new stuff on their own, things (like anxiety!) change fast and for the better. The kids compare notes, their parents do the same, and voila: The norms switch from over-protective to overwhelmed with pride and excitement.

Want a school full of Flacos (without the regurgitated mouse cartilage)? Get started! Download The Let Grow Project implementation guide and watch those fledglings fly!

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