proverb · Words worth keeping
Children and chickens must be always picking.
Children and chickens must be always picking.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying pictures children and chickens continually picking at food. It groups two images of repeated small feeding into a broad claim of need.
Example
A caregiver asks what a child actually needs rather than interpreting every request through a fixed comparison.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Always makes the pattern absolute. A careful reading can recognise an observation about frequent requests or small amounts without prescribing how children must eat. Their actual needs cannot be settled by comparison with animals. The useful discussion distinguishes noticing a recurring demand from assuming one routine suits everyone.
When to use it
Use it to examine a broad feeding image with its limits stated.
Keep in mind
The comparison is not paediatric or nutritional guidance.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English