when i was young i was not capable of eating sunflower seeds. my reason was that i had a space between my two front teeth which greatly hindered my seed cracking abilities. i would watch my mother in envy, cracking away at her pile of seeds. while i slowly tore mine apart. at one point i even grew to enjoy just eeting the entire seed, shell and all. but, over time, that space closed. so did my awe of seed eating ability. now i can eat sunflower seeds without a thought, and crack away at them at almost the same rate as my mother. but gone, is my innocent and naive awe at the power of my mother. i guess this relates to how as you grow, you realize more and more that your parents are humans. i am human, and i can eat seeds like my mother can. no longer is she so high and mighty. i'm catching up. disappointing almost. i wish they could keep their awesome power over me forever...