The other day I read something amazing while scrolling through the internet. It said something along the lines of:
“If children don’t grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it. And if they don’t understand it, they won’t protect it. And if they don’t protect it, who will?”
This simple quote made me think about how important it is for our children to love nature and the amazing animals within.
So let me tell you a story about a little girl named Opal and how she made a little duck happy!
On what seemed to be just an ordinary day, Holly and her kids were walking around in their local park.
At one point her daughter Opal noticed an egg lying on the ground! Confused, Holly came close only to realize it was a duck egg! As Holly shared in a video:
“A number of people there actually told me that is a place where domesticated ducks are often dumped.”
In that park was a pond where people often abandoned their pet ducks, leaving them all alone.
How the tiny duck egg rolled all the way over to the sidewalk was uncertain, but Holly didn’t want to touch it at first. She hoped mama duck would come to the rescue, so she picked her kids up and went home.
However, once they got home both Holly and Opal couldn’t stop thinking about the tiny duck egg. They returned to the park, only to find the egg in the same spot. As little Opal adorably said:
“It doesn’t have a mama. Maybe we should rescue it.”
Holly couldn’t say no to Opal and she couldn’t leave the duck egg all alone, so she made an instant decision to bring it home!
They incubated the egg, and just days later, Holly noticed a tiny hole in the egg. An adorable little duckling came out, with beige-colored feathers! Naming her Starlight, they witnessed her first steps. As Holly said:
“To see Starlight outside of the shell, and to like nurture her all the way through, was just the most exciting thing ever.”
Opal and Starlight started doing everything together, from reading in bed to cuddling on the sofa. Holly made sure to learn everything about ducks, as she shared:
“I started doing more and more research about having ducks. I ended up finding out that they still need other ducks around for them to thrive.”
This is when Holly’s family decided to adopt two more ducklings from their local shelter! That’s when Stormie and Rain joined the family!
Starlight immediately took on the role of a big sister, showing the new ducklings around and welcoming them to their forever home.
Holly’s daughter Opal formed a special bond with all these ducks. They would nap on her lap, while Opal gently stroked their feathers! As Holly said:
“Opal has been the most caring, loving little mom that you could ever imagine.”
Well, one thing is for sure. Opal learned how to protect and respect nature and its wildlife and it’s truly heartwarming.
Make sure to follow Holly’s family over on Instagram, so you don’t miss out on any new ducklings joining the family!