What Chunno Munno and the Strange Situation Can Teach Us About Child Development

If you grew up hearing the Urdu rhyme Chunno Munno Do Choozay , about two little chicks who venture out and mistake a harmless mouse for a scary worm, you might not have realized you were encountering a story rich with psychological wisdom.

Psychologists have spent decades exploring how children learn about their world, form relationships, and develop socially and emotionally. Some foundational theories from great minds like Bowlby, Ainsworth, Bandura, Vygotsky, Baumrind, and Bronfenbrenner help us understand how these early experiences shape us , much like those little chicks learning what’s safe and what’s not.

Here is the story version that I remembered from my childhood:

Once upon a time in a quiet village, a mother hen lived in a warm little coop with her two curious chicks, Chunno and Munno. She loved them deeply, keeping them close, feeding them, and clucking softly whenever danger was near. The chicks would follow her everywhere, exploring the garden and pecking the ground while staying within sight of her wings.

Chunno and Munno were not just siblings they were best friends. Chunno was bold and daring, while Munno was gentle and thoughtful. Every day brought new games and new adventures. But Mama Hen always called them home before sunset, wrapping them under her wings to sleep safe and sound.

One breezy afternoon, the chicks spotted a butterfly dancing in the air. They chased it, giggling and running further than they had ever gone before. When the butterfly vanished, they looked around and realized they were lost.

The garden they knew so well now felt unfamiliar. The wind howled through the tall grass. Shadows lengthened. Chunno chirped loudly, hoping Mama would hear. Munno started trembling, tears welling in his tiny eyes.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew. Leaves scattered, and thunder rumbled in the sky. The chicks panicked and ran, bumping into each other, trying to find shelter. They missed Mama’s warmth. They missed her voice. And for the first time, they realised how safe they had always felt under her wings.

Meanwhile, Mama Hen had noticed their absence. She searched the garden, calling their names with rising worry. Her feathers ruffled in the storm, but she did not stop. “Chunno! Munno!” she clucked again and again.

In the distance, the chicks heard her familiar voice. They stopped, chirped back, and began to follow the sound. The moment they saw her, they rushed into her wings. Safe. Found. Home.

That night, huddled under her feathers, they didn’t need to be told twice about staying close. They had ventured into the world and learned what it meant to be held, lost, and found again.

It makes me think now of how stories are more than words. They carry the echoes of those who told them, the lessons they wanted us to learn, and the love that shaped them. My mother, perhaps unknowingly, gave me both a poem and a piece of herself that night. And it still lives with me. Most of the stories from my childhood came from my father, his voice carried folklore, wisdom, and humor in ways that always stayed with me. But this one was different. This story came from my mother. I had often complained to her, “Why can’t you tell me a story like Abbo does?” Perhaps she felt my yearning, perhaps she wanted to weave her own lesson into the fabric of our childhood.

At the time, I didn’t realize the depth of what she was giving us. Now, as I find myself researching parent–child relationships more deeply, that memory with my mother comes back with new meaning. At the time, it was simply a story told at bedtime. But in retrospect, I can see how it was also an act of connection, of shaping the emotional bond between us.

Looking through the lens of psychology, it reminds me of Attachment Theory (Bowlby, 1969; Ainsworth, 1978). The story wasn’t just entertainment, it was a way of reassuring me that I was seen and cared for. The famous Strange Situation experiment, designed by Ainsworth, reveals how infants respond to separations and reunions with their caregiver, classifying attachment as:

• Secure: Confident exploration and comfort-seeking.

• Insecure (Anxious, Avoidant, Disorganized): Varied patterns of distress, avoidance, or confusion.

In our story, Chunno and Munno act like securely or insecurely attached infants. They venture out the “outside world” but when confronted with something unknown (the “worm” that is actually a mouse), their reactions reflect their sense of safety or fear. Like children in the Strange Situation, their behaviors reveal their emotional security.

Ainsworth’s Strange Situation experiment, for example, showed us how children seek comfort and security from caregivers in moments of need. In my case, asking for a story was perhaps my own small way of reaching out, and my mother’s response built trust and warmth in our relationship.

It also makes me think of Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (1977) that children learn behaviors by observing and imitating others, especially caregivers. The way parents model kindness, caution, or fear deeply influences a child's response to new situations.

If the mother hen in Chunno Munno calmly investigates and reassures the chicks, they learn to approach the “unknown” with curiosity rather than fear. If instead she panics or hides, the chicks might learn to avoid or fear the unknown. This mirrors Bandura’s principle of reinforcement shaping behavior. By watching how my parents engaged with me, my father through his endless stories, my mother by transforming a poem into something personal. I was learning about care, creativity, and even resilience. Their modeling shaped how I now see relationships, teaching me that love often expresses itself in different, sometimes unexpected, ways.

Then there’s Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (1978), which emphasizes how learning is rooted in social interaction. That night, my mother was scaffolding not just my language or imagination, but my understanding of relationships. She took something from culture, a famous Urdu poem and brought it down into my Zone of Proximal Development by turning it into a story a child could enjoy and learn from. Think of the hen gently guiding Chunno and Munno helping them distinguish the harmless mouse from a threat. This “scaffolding” is critical: it teaches the chicks how to learn and respond safely. Without such social support, children may misinterpret situations, like the chicks mistaking the mouse for a worm.

Parenting style also plays a role here. Baumrind’s work (1966; Maccoby & Martin, 1983) highlights how authoritative parenting; a mix of warmth and structure, best nurtures confidence and social growth. My mother’s act was not permissive indulgence, nor authoritarian instruction. It was warmth with intention, a gentle lesson wrapped in creativity. Research by Diana Baumrind (1966) and later Maccoby & Martin (1983) identifies four parenting styles:

• Authoritative: Warmth and clear boundaries — leads to healthy socialization.

• Authoritarian: Strict, less warmth — may cause anxiety or rebellion.

• Permissive: Warm but lax — can lead to poor self-regulation.

• Neglectful: Lack of warmth and control — linked to social and emotional problems.

The hen’s approach in Chunno Munno can reflect an authoritative style — nurturing yet providing guidance, helping the chicks develop confidence to explore while recognizing danger.

Urie Bronfenbrenner (1979) expanded our view by showing that development occurs within nested environmental systems — from family to culture.

The chicks’ world is the marsh, with predators, weather, and human presence shaping their experience. Similarly, a child’s development is influenced by multiple layers — home, school, community, and cultural stories (like Chunno Munno itself!).

Bringing It All Together: Lessons From Chicks and Psychology

The Chunno Munno tale and the Strange Situation experiment both reveal how early experiences, caregiver relationships, and environmental contexts shape how children perceive and react to the world:

• Attachment security fosters healthy exploration and resilience.

• Children learn behaviors by watching caregivers’ responses.

• Guided social interaction helps children distinguish safety from threat.

• Balanced parenting supports social and emotional growth.

• Multiple environmental systems influence development.

Just as Chunno and Munno eventually learn to distinguish between a “worm” and a “mouse,” children grow into adults who can navigate life’s uncertainties; provided they receive the right support, warmth, and guidance.

Curious to Explore More?

• How might your own childhood attachment influence your reactions to “strange situations” today?

• What stories from your culture help children learn about safety and danger?

• How do you model responses to new or uncertain experiences for the children in your life?

The next time you hear a simple rhyme or watch a child’s reaction to something new, remember, there’s a world of learning happening beneath those little feet and curious eyes.