About ten years ago, I had two pet finches. They laid several eggs and hatched their chicks and they were very devoted, caring parents. When it’s time for the little ones to leave the nest, finch parents usually still feed their grown babies until they learn to feed themselves. Usually this takes about two weeks (the quick learners in the group figure this out in one week).
Well, this particular group of chicks wanted nothing to do with taking care of themselves. They just wanted Mom and Dad to care for them! So, after two weeks, Mom just stopped feeding them cold turkey. Those babies begged and screamed violently at their parents. Mom just looked boringly at those little beggars and then flew off. Dad, on the other hand, gave in to their demands. I swear it looked like Mom scolded Dad for doing this, and eventually he stopped the support altogether.
The babies continued to scream and beg, but when hunger set in, guess who learned how to feed themselves? Those bratty little fledglings. It just looked like so many human situations you talk about, and I have to admit even I tried hard to stay a child and mooch off of my parents for as long as I could. We should all learn from that Mamma finch, because she did the right thing!
Monica
Even Bird Parents Know How to Do the Right Thing