A mother crab and her baby crab live by the sea. They walk on the beach. The mother crab sees her baby walk. He walks to the side.

The mother crab says, "My child, walk straight. Do not walk to the side."

The baby crab looks at his mother. He says, "But you walk to the side too. Show me how to walk straight, and I will do it."

The mother crab thinks about this.

In a coastal area near a vast sea, a mother crab and her young crab were taking a stroll along the beach. As they moved together, the mother observed her child’s peculiar way of walking. She noticed that he was moving sideways, which appeared somewhat unusual to her.

“My dear child,” the mother crab spoke gently, “there is a better way for you to walk. It would be nice if you could move straight ahead instead of from side to side.”

The young crab gazed up at his mother, feeling surprised. “Mother,” he responded, “but aren’t you walking in the same way? If you can demonstrate how to walk straight, I will follow your lead.”

This thoughtful reply from the young crab made the mother crab reflect deeply on her own behavior.

On a beach, with sand that sparkled like a million tiny disco balls, a mother crab and her little crab were having a day out. It was the kind of day that demanded sun hats and beach balls, but being crabs, they settled for a pleasant shuffle.

As they danced along the shore, the mother crab squinted at her child's sideways stroll and decided it was more of a wobble than a walk.

"Darling," the mother crab said, her voice dripping with honey and seaweed, "your walk's got all the grace of a jellyfish on roller skates! Let's learn to walk straight ahead, shall we? Like the seagulls, only less squawky."

The young crab blinked his teeny eyes, looking like he'd been hit with a bucket of cold seawater. "Mother," he chimed, his voice filled with a curiosity only rivaled by a cat with a laser pointer, "but you're doing the crab cha-cha too! If you'll tango straight, I'll follow the beat."

The mother crab did a double take, realizing her little one had put her in a bit of a pinch. "Well, my little seaside philosopher," she chuckled, "you've caught me in my own tidepool of wisdom. Let's dance to our own rhythm, shall we?"

And they continued to sidestep down the shore, laughing and joking, content to be different.

Beside the sea where waves did crash,
Where waters swirled and made a splash,
Mother crab and young crab roamed,
On the sands that brightly foamed.

Sun hats? Beach balls? Not for these!
They shuffled with the ocean breeze.
Mother crab, with watchful eye,
Noticed her young one's wobbly tie.

"Dearest one," said she with glee,
"Why not try to walk straight, see?
Like those seagulls up above,
Glide with grace and move with love."

Tiny eyes, so round and wide,
Young crab thought and then replied,
"You dance sideways, just like me!
If you go straight, then you'll see."

Mother crab, with cheeks turned blue,
Laughed aloud, "You caught me, it's true!
Let's embrace our special prance,
Sidestep, twirl, give it a chance!"

And so they did, with joy and fun,
Underneath the golden sun.
Different, yes, but oh so grand,
Dancing together on the sand.