The Crab and His Mother
- 2 minute read
- Ages 5-9
- Aesop's Fables
A mother crab watched her son moving along the sand and could not bear it.
"Why do you walk like that?" she said. "Sideways, always sideways. It looks ridiculous. Walk straight forward, the way you are supposed to."
"I do not know how," said the young crab.
"It is not difficult. You put one foot in front of the other and you go forwards. Watch."
The demonstration
And she set off across the sand to show him.
She went sideways.
She stopped, and started again more carefully, concentrating on it, and went sideways again. She tried facing a different direction, which made no difference at all. She tried going slowly, which made it worse.
Her son sat and watched the whole performance without saying anything.
Eventually she stopped and came back.
"Show me how it is done," said the young crab, "and I will do it."
Moral of the story
Do not correct someone for something you do yourself. Showing is worth more than telling, which is why people avoid being asked to.
Questions and answers
- What did the mother crab criticise?
The way her son walked sideways across the sand instead of straight forward.
- What did she tell him to do?
To put one foot in front of the other and walk forwards like he was supposed to.
- What happened when she demonstrated?
She walked sideways herself, and could not walk forwards no matter how she tried.
- Why could she not walk straight?
Crabs are built to move sideways. It was never something she could have done.
- What did the young crab say at the end?
That he would do it as soon as she showed him how, which she could not.
Word meanings
- ridiculous
- Very silly, or deserving to be laughed at.
- demonstration
- Showing someone how something is done.
- concentrating
- Giving something all your attention.
- performance
- An attempt at doing something, watched by others.
Questions about The Crab and His Mother
What is the moral of The Crab and His Mother?
The moral is that you should not tell others to do what you cannot do yourself. Example carries more weight than instruction.
Is the mother crab unkind?
Not really. She genuinely wants to help and genuinely believes it should be possible, which is what makes the fable funny rather than cruel.
Do crabs actually walk sideways?
Most crabs do. Their leg joints bend outwards, which makes sideways movement far faster and easier than moving forwards.
Why is this fable good for children?
It is short and funny, and it gives children a fair way to point out when an adult is asking for something they do not do themselves.