While in Borneo I had the opportunity to view wild Proboscis monkeys as they came down from the trees to feed. One of the monkeys had a very young baby, 2-3 weeks old. I overheard two distressed women criticizing the mother who was much more interested in feeding herself than feeding or suckling her baby.
In fact, the baby Proboscis was pretty much left on his own, and mom only intervened when he almost fell to the ground. Was she being a bad mom? I don’t think so. That baby has to learn to take care of itself and mom was doing her job – bucking him up for real life. What better environment to learn how to survive in the wild than with mom (and her Proboscis family) around to pick him up when he’s about to fall.
When it comes to mentoring, Certified Legal Nurse Consultants, the CLNC® Mentors and I are a bit like this Proboscis mother. We won’t coddle you as much as you might like, but we’ll buck you up so you won’t fall when you’re consulting with real attorneys in the real legal world. I promise you’ll definitely thank us later.
I’m Just Sayin’
P.S. Comment and share what mentoring style you prefer – buck-up or gentle, and why.
