The Crab Who Tried to Walk Straight

Once upon a time, on a shallow, sandy beach by the vast ocean, there lived a little crab. Every day, she watched other sea creatures swim and move forward gracefully. She envied them, wishing she could walk straight like they did. She felt embarrassed about the way crabs scuttled sideways, and other animals often teased them, calling them “sideways bullies.” Determined to change this, the little crab made up her mind—she would learn to walk forward.

Before long, the little crab became a mother and gave birth to an adorable baby crab. She saw this as her chance to change the way crabs walked—starting with her own child. Every day, she patiently taught her little one to crawl forward, saying, “We must stop walking sideways! It looks strange, and others make fun of us. From now on, we’ll walk forward, just like the other animals.”

The baby crab was obedient and didn’t want to disappoint his mother. He practiced every day, trying his best. But no matter how hard he tried, his steps were wobbly and awkward. In fact, walking forward was even slower than walking sideways!

Seeing her child struggle, the mother crab became anxious. She sometimes even scolded him, urging him to try harder.

Days turned into weeks, and the little crab spent his childhood in frustrating training. He grew more and more confused—why couldn’t he walk straight, no matter how much he practiced? Every time he saw his mother’s disappointed face, his heart filled with guilt.

One day, after being scolded again, the little crab finally gathered his courage and asked, “Mom, can you show me how to walk forward? If I see you do it, maybe I can learn.”

The mother crab paused. That made sense. If she wanted her child to walk forward, she should be able to do it too. So, she took a deep breath and stepped forward.

But after just a few steps, she wobbled and nearly toppled over. She struggled to keep her balance. That’s when she realized—walking forward was extremely difficult for a crab!

The little crab watched his mother and said softly, “Mom, if even you find it so hard, how can I possibly do it? We crabs were born to walk sideways. That’s what makes us fast and steady.”

The mother crab was stunned. She looked down at her child, then gently pulled him into a hug. “I’m so sorry, my dear,” she said. “I was forcing you to do something that wasn’t natural for you. But you’re right—crabs are meant to walk sideways. There’s nothing wrong with that! Instead of changing ourselves, we should be proud of who we are.”

From that day on, the mother crab no longer forced her child to walk forward. Instead, she taught him how to use his natural abilities to walk quickly and confidently—sideways. The little crab regained his confidence and no longer felt ashamed of his unique way of walking. He had finally learned to appreciate what made him special.