Page 27 - Whoos A. Fraid

PARENTS NOTES WHOOS A. FRAID
Being afraid is an important survival skill for humans. Without a healthy amount of it, we would blunder into hostile tribes. Without it, we would feed our hunger with poison plants. Without it we would leap from cliffs, just to see if we can fly.
The healthy fear that comes from the admonitions, “Don’t talk to strangers” and “Wash your hands before you eat” is necessary in today’s world. But fear comes in many forms and is often inappropriate and debilitating. These fears are not only phobias but are also our unreasoned reluctance to deal with the novel or difficult. In this story, your child meets young owl that will illustrate many of these irrational beliefs, which lead to dysfunctional fears and inappropriate behaviors.
In the first part of this story, the main character Whoos A. Fraid (known as Fraid is being taught a lesson about recognizing other owls. But when confronted with them, Fraid says, “I don’t like them, they are different and funny looking.” How often do we avoid another person just because we are unfamiliar with their appearance? We form an opinion (frequently negative without anything more than a glance in their direction.
This type of “they are different” thinking will affect your opinion of someone because they are of a different race, religion or just a different regional accent. It is a very limiting belief that will confine your interactions to only those with whom you feel comfortable. That means that people who think like Fraid may be restricted to interacting with their immediate family and a few friends. If you maintain this type of thinking, you will never learn from or enjoy the diversity that is part of the human society to which we belong.
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