Kids learn infinitely more from how we act than from what we tell them.

Until we learn to translate their various calls, whistles, and trills, what penguin parents say to their chicks will remain a mystery. But observation tells us that penguin offspring learn all the important life skills—foraging, swimming, navigation, avoiding predators—by modeling their parents’ behavior. A helpful reminder when you have chicks of your own—our actions will always speak louder than our words.