The Little Crab and his Grandmother

Grandmother Crab was quietly resting on the seabed when Little Crab scuttled by.

 "Foolish child!" she scolded. "Why are you walking sideways like that? You should always march straight ahead, and show the world you're proud to be a crab!"

 Now, Little Crab was proud to be a crab, and he wanted the world to know it. "Show me how, Grandmother," he cried, "and I'll never walk another way!"

 With great dignity, Grandmother Crab stood up. But when she took a step, she could only go sideways, just like Little Crab. And when she tried again, she tripped and fell with a thump to the ocean floor.

 Grandmother Crab sat up stiffly. "On second thought, Little Crab," she said, "a true crab should always be very proud to walk sideways."

Master what you teach.

          This is an important lesson to anyone out there. Whether Little Crab was being obnoxious or if he really wanted Grandmother Crab to show him, we'll never know. What I do know is that Little Crab was right to ask. So for kids out there who are being told to do things by their parents such as, "Play the instrument like this..." or, " Shoot the ball like this..." Ask them to show you. Chances are, they won't be able to play the instrument or shoot the ball the way they described. But make sure you don't ask in an obnoxious way because otherwise that may land you in a lot of trouble. Trust me. If it is really obvious that your parents don't know, but they are really strict parents and might take what you say as disrespectful, just leave it be. I know it can be frustrating, seeing your parents are not perfect; but just live with it. It's not the end of the world.

          Now if you’re an adult or a teenager working with younger kids and teaching them how to do sports, school work, playing an instrument, etc., you want to master what you teach. If you don't and one of your 'students' calls you on it, you'll end up being embarrassed and lose all credibility in that subject/activity. For instance, the other day, I was having a football catch with my friends and I told my friends that I was really accurate with my throws. But, my throw ended up sailing 5 feet over his head. It was really embarrassing, especially when my friend said, "Looks like I'm learning from the master." Sarcastically of course. So for all the people out there teaching others on how to do things, master what you teach, so you don’t trip and fall like Grandma Crab.