Parenting

How do lobsters grow?

A lobster is a soft, mushy animal that lives inside of a rigid shell. 

This shell does not expand. As the lobster grows, the shell becomes very confining. When the lobster feels itself under pressure and uncomfortable, it goes under a rock formation to protect itself from predatory fish, casts off the shell, and produces a new one. 

Eventually, that shell becomes uncomfortable as it grows. The lobster then goes back under the rocks. The lobster repeats this process numerous times. 

The stimulus for the lobster to grow is that it feels uncomfortable. If lobsters had doctors, they would never grow because as soon as the lobster feels uncomfortable, it goes to the doctor, gets a Valium or a Percocet, feels fine, and never casts off its shell. 

We have to realize that times of stress are also times that are signals for growth and if we use adversity properly, we can grow through adversity.