“Why do people go to the zoo? What can possibly be entertaining or educational about going to the zoo? Why don’t we just go shopping instead?” I kept thinking to myself as we drove down the motorway towards the Zoo.

So we got there and saw the Lions and the Zebras. Then had an ice cream (99 with flake and strawberry sauce). My son had the one in a tub that has a bubble gum in the bottom. My daughter was in a buggy and too small to have an ice cream all to herself, so I gave her some of mine (even though I don’t normally like sharing). We went on to see the creepy crawly things like snakes and spiders.

We then walked past the elephants and my son stopped dead in his tracks. “Come on, we’ve got loads to see yet. Are you tired?” maybe he’d walked for too long and needed another sit down. “OK. He’s tired, let’s find a place to eat our picnic and then we’ll carry on to the Hunter Birds section” I said as I started scanning for a free spot on the grass.

“I’m not tired, I’m just confused.” He sure had a confused look on his face. What could possibly have confused him about an Elephant?

“What’s Confusing about the Elephant, son?”

“The Elephant looks strong, it’s really big. It’s even stronger than you...” I love how boys, at that age, thing their dads are really strong. He went on “…so why doesn’t it just pull hard and break that rope that’s tied on his foot and make a dash for it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the rope’s strong and can hold him?” I offered in a ‘I’m entirely convinced by what’s coming out of my mouth either’ way. Now even I was questioning this. My son was right, why wasn’t the elephant breaking away?

As we were about to walk away, my son still looking at the elephant with the confused expression still on his face, a park warden came up and said “Hi sir, do you mind if I answer that question? I was just about to go in and clean the pen and overheard your son.”

“No, not at all. Please do. I was beginning to think the same thing if I’m honest” I was happy that I’ll get an answer to the question too. This will be interesting.

“Well son,” said the warden ”When the elephants are born, they often run around and go all over the place and we have a job catching them so we just tie them up with the same rope you see on that big elephant there. They wriggle and pull, but can’t break away from it, because they’re only babies and not strong enough. And as they grow up, they give up trying. They think it’s wasted effort. They know they’ve tried it and were unsuccessful so just give up. And even though they are more than capable of breaking away from the rope as adults, they don’t even bother trying.”

“Oh, ok.” Said my son, nodding his head in satisfaction at the more plausible explanation.

I thanked the man, and we went off for our picnic and the rest of the day.

On the way home my thought were a little different from the ones I was having on the way there as I’d learned one of the most valuable lessons in my life. Now I was thinking “Your early attempts may fail, but you must never fail to make more attempts” and “Don’t choose to accept the false boundaries and limitations created by your past”

Have you ever given up something after a few failed attempts that looking back on now you think you may have been able to succeed in if you'd carried on trying?