Sometimes questions are more important than answers ~ Nancy Willard

With a house full of giggly girls we have some pretty colorful conversations. And being a former teacher librarian I am pretty used to fielding questions. But lately I have been baffled by a few things I have had to explain to one girl or another or heard as a response to something I asked them. So I have been keeping a list and decided to turn it into a post of girly wonders.

I asked G2 the other day why it was so hard to flush the toilet after she went to the bathroom. As I am constantly finding it unfleshed when I find time to go. Her response was so that of little girl born in an automatic society. She said "the toilets at school flush automatically, so I am not used to it at home." And she was so dead serious as if that explained everything. Never mind the 15+ hours she is home at night, the 48+ hours on the weekend and the 2 1/2 months we just spent at home for the summer! Those 8 hours at school where she probably goes to the bathroom no more then 3 times a day make her forget! But to her that made perfect sense. (For $900 you can get a no touch Kohler toilet in your home - guess I better have the girls start saving their pennies!)

Just after school started G2 came home and informed me she now knew the F word (which was bound to happen because she had already told me the a and s word before) So I calmly asked her where she had heard it and without missing a beat she launched into letting me know a boy got on the bus that afternoon and as he was putting his window down he yelled "it's f#*%ing hot out!" While trying to keep a straight face, I let her know while it was rather hot that day, she should not be using that word as she was describing the heat that had so pleasantly hit Iowa just as school started. The even better part of this is when I told my husband the story that night his comments were what do you expect to happen on the bus, at least she could repeat it in the right context, and it was more than f#*%ing hot out today so it was at least a true statement. I guess riding the bus in the country with all ages of kids and riding the bus across town with only kids your age is a very different experience.

My husband would tell you that the girls and I watch entirely too much TV and G1 probably does, but despite what he may think we do spend time doing other things as well even if G1 is at times glued to the TV, but that would be a different post entirely! (Yet another difference b/w growing up in town and growing up in the country.) But I grew up watching soap operas with my mom and begging to stay up and watch the newest episode of Star Trek on Sunday nights with my dad. It was just one way we spent time together doing and then had another common thing to talk about during down time. So I guess that is something I started to do with my kids too. G1 and I enjoyed many episodes of Sesame Street when she was young and more often then not you can find the Disney channel on in our house. But the TV is not usually a babysitter in our house. We always talk about what we learned or what was happening on the show  (it has actually a good connection for some kiddos at school when I teach reading strategies - it gives us a common ground to meet on before we dive into reading an article/story I hope they are interested in but may fall flat with some.) Anyway there are some times I do get control of the remote and watch shows I enjoy and the girls sometimes wander in and out or sit on my lap and watch with me. I do not censor what they watch, but would rather be there to explain to them what is going on. (Which is sometimes lost in their childhood minds) But even occasionally I am caught by surprise at what they see and understand. One night I was catching up on General Hospital just before bedtime and G2 very honestly asked me why the two men were kissing? (Which was actually an innocent question for a six year old growing up in a small rural town so I hope this does not offend anyone) But rather it lead to a good talk about how we love who we love and we should not be afraid to share that love because of what others might not understand. I am not sure at the age of six she truly understands, but it gave us a starting point for when she does understand. 

Since my husbands job is dependent on the life cycle of the dairy cow there are many questions that center around birth and death on our farm. Why do we have only one boy cow? If you don't milk the bull why do we keep him? Why is that bull trying to ride that cow? Why is a steer different then a bull? Why are you flipping that calf over and putting a rubber band on it? How do you know when a cow is going to have a calf? How do the calves get out of the mommy cows? Why do you have those long rubber gloves on? You are going to stick your arm where? Why do you have to use a rope and chain to pull the calf out of the mommy? What is that other liquid coming out with the calf? What is that reddish/creamish pile of yucky thing on the ground where the calf was born? Why don't the mommy cows stay with the calves? Why is that cow not getting up after it did the splits in the holding pen? Why is that cow just laying in the yard? Why is their a trail of blood from where that cow was laying to the now dead cow waiting for the rendering truck? The calf I named Domino is not moving in his hut, what happened? Why did the vet come and cut that dead calf open in the belly? Where do the steers go after they get on the semi? All of which lead to a pretty honest conversation that I hope they will be able to make the connection to as they grow and learn about the life cycle of humans. (But sometimes that connection does not always come and questions from teenagers can still amaze you as I will never forget the reaction of a student at school as teacher I was working with tried to explain to him where all the babies in Africa come from when he asked why the population was growing so rapidly there!)  

Oh and I almost forgot - after hearing Dierks Bentley's 'Drunk on a Plane' 453,127 times on the radio G2 stopped to look at me wanting to know what this 'drunk' word - she had been shouting out so many times she belted out the song - was and why was this guy getting that way on a plane? I try to be up front with questions, so I gave her the high school health answer about how the alcohol changes your brain and makes you feel and act different if you drink too much at one time and it can be dangerous to your body if you do that too often or drive a car after you have been drinking. And of course at age 6 she think that sounds like a bad idea - so I hope that thinking continues when she is 16! 

The 'tail' end - What is the most surprising thing you have been asked by your child? 

These pink farm boots aren't made for wearing

About a month ago we were shopping at 'The Popcorn Store' (aka Thiesens) and our oldest G told us she needed a new pair of farm boots so we browsed the shoe aisle and came across a pair of pink ones that light up when you walk. She was sure they were perfect and would make her want to come outside more to help with chores. (As of today she has wore them twice to bring her youngest sister outside to find us.)

You see our oldest G probably has the least amount of farm girl in her and would actually prefer to live in town. We often tease her and call her Marcia because she acts a lot like my husband's middle sister when she was growing up on the farm. She is very much a girly girl who prefers to wear dresses and be inside watching TV or pretending to be a teacher, chef, mom, hairstylist, or whatever pops in her mind that day. Which sort of reminds me a lot of myself as a little girl. (When I was eight I organized and hosted a wedding and reception for my five year old brother and the neighbor girl.) 

When I was deep inside the darkness of myself during the worst of my postpartum depression I believed this was all my fault. I always knew the farm was important to my husband and there are times it feels like the farm comes before everything else in life - which at certain times in the year is probably true. Even though I love that my kids will have a chance to grow up in the country and learn from the hard work of their daddy there are times when I wish there was a little more time for family togetherness outside of the milking parlor or cab of a tractor. So when the oldest G was born I made it pretty clear she would make the choice on what she wanted to do about her time on the farm. My husband was not a full time farmer when she was born so going to the farm when she was little was an adventure that we went home after.  We also did not live on the home farm at first when he did take over so she did not have as much time lounging in the stroller (covered in flies) as the younger two G's. So in my irrational mind it was all my fault she does not spend as much time outside helping as the other two.

I now understand that she is her own person and it would really be boring in this world if we were all the same. I will continue to encourage her to put on those pink light up boots and come out to help us, but it really needs to be her own decision as she grows up and learns more about herself. There are times when it is not a discussion because she needs to help so we can go somewhere when we are done or just because she needs to get outside the four walls of the house and the glow of the TV screen. And isn't that what parenting should be about? Guiding our kids to make the best decisions for them.

 

The 'tail' end - What are some things you do to guide your children to the best decisions for them? 

“Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken...”― Evanescence

As I searched the make-up aisles in two stores today simply trying to find something to apply make-up to my daughters for an upcoming recital I realized why I generally despise having to get fixed up because I am a girl. I have never been over the top with make-up. As a matter of fact I can still hear one of my bridesmaids offering to finish up my make-up the day of my wedding because we all know I don't know much about it. I think it is because I have worn cover up or concealer since I hit puberty and was (as my grandma tells me) blessed with the Buckingham skin. I am now close to half way through my 30's and still must use prescription medicine to keep my acne under control. (So much for growing out of it like I was told I would.) I do try to remember to put my face on each day, but I have noticed with each girl I add to the family, the less time I spend on me. I have even realized half way to work I forgot to put on my cover-up and am completely- just me.

As I sat on the floor tonight and painted finger and toe nails with all three of my girls, I loved joining in on the giggles, but it made me wonder - what am in for as my girls continue to grow up? I have already muddled my way through two dance recitals, but could be in for 18 more - not to mention six proms and three weddings! I can only hope they will pick up some tips to teach me along the way!

 

It does make me wonder why we have to 'make-up' our looks in society? What is wrong with the way we are? Why are trying to look like someone else?

I spent most of my teen years with low self-esteem, being tormented with such names as pizza and crater face. I have seen the lowest part of life during postpartum depression when I truly believed for a little while that my family might be better off without me. The mind can be a very powerful force and I have seen the worst of it. I NEVER want my girls to feel this way, but how do we change a society that believes thin, blond, and beautiful are the best traits? I wish I had a magic answer, but all I can do is hope they will listen to me (better than I did to my mom) when I tell them it wouldn't be fun if we were all the same. Or is that a life lesson you must learn on your own?

The 'tail' end - what do you do with your kids to make them realize they are best to be who they are and not worry about what others think of them?

Are we changing our children with technology?

Anyone who knows me knows I love technology and I am always looking for ways to use it in my everyday life and in teaching.

I have an app (Anylist) on my phone for my shopping list or I would walk out of the store without the one thing I came for. I take care of my banking (I only write checks to my babysitter and the hospital) and budgeting online. I take all my pictures on a digital camera or with my phone or tablet and do most of my scrapping on sites like Snapfish, Picaboo, Smilebox, and apps like PicCollage of InstaMessage. I can carry my music collection in my pocket on my iPod or connect to my radio in my car with a cord and not worry about changing the CD. TV and movies can be watched anytime or anywhere on tablets or laptops. And since I am no longer in a library everyday most of my reading is borrowed via wireless without stepping foot in a library. I can constantly connect and respond instantly (which I often do before I forget what you asked b/c I am on to my next task)  with old or new friends via Facebook, Google+, FaceTime, email, or text. I even keep virtual post it notes via reminders on my iPhone or iPad so I don't forget to do something. I very rarely write things on paper anymore because it is faster to put a quick note on Evernote so I can access it wherever I have an Internet connection. I even keep my calendar and lesson plans online so I can put in notes and know where I need to be when I need to be there. I have been trying to convince my husband to keep track of his calves and dairy herd online so he doesn't have to scrape manure off his notebook. I can find my news instantly and interact with it via social media and Web 2.0. I am even an author as I write this blog and another about education and follow many more to get ideas and advice. I can spend hours scouring Pinterest for ideas on crafts and recipes. I can sell my creations on Etsy and have a virtual yard sale anytime on eBay. I am sure there is something I haven't thought of or will learn about tomorrow I want to try. Technology is everywhere and if we don't embrace it we may be left behind. 

But I have seen some posts on Facebook and other blogs about how children today are different because of all these changes and it made me think. My two year old is already learning, playing games, and finding music or pictures on our tablets. I feel lucky they will get to have better experiences due to changes in technology, but I have to agree they are changing and missing out on some things because of all this technology. 

The biggest thing is patience. Everything is instant. They will never have to wait all night for the DJ to play their favorite song on the radio only to have him talk over the beginning when they push record so they can play back in their tape player when they want to hear it again. They will never learn to be kind and rewind when they return a video to the store. They no longer have to cruise up and down Main Street all night to find their friends. They will not wait for their sister or even a neighbor to get off the phone so they can place a call. They will never flip through the card catalog to find the title, author, or subject card to send them in the direction of a book they need. They won't wait six weeks for a toy to come in the mail they sent in for via an offer on a cereal box. They won't spend time searching the couch cushions for change to go to the neighborhood Ma and Pop store to get a glass bottle of Pepsi to enjoy on a hot day. Pictures are even instant. No more taking them to the store to develop and waiting a week only to find out you head was cut off or the best one was blurry. Even shaking a Polaroid to see the picture appear takes too long. 

Imagination is also dwindling. Boxes don't become houses, cars, and the sheriff's jail. Two cans don't get strung together or a blinking flashlight code is not made to get messages to their neighbor. They can't leave the house on their bike after breakfast and explore in the woods until the street lights come on and it's time for dinner. They won't sit around a 9" black and white TV in your grandma's kitchen with your cousins and guess the color of the dresses of the ladies in the Miss America pageant. The week will probably not be spent on their grandparents family farm learning to plant gardens or flowers and create things in the wood shop. Even in my own van and on my last field trip all I can see in the early morning light is the blue/green glow of electronics to occupy out times instead of seeing what is going on around us. 

Kids are too busy and forget about being kids. Sitting around the table all together for supper after the farm chores are done is almost a thing of the past. In order to be competitive and win you must play school and club sports. And if you don't win you can be so hard on yourself because of what others must think of you. A friendly neighborhood game of kickball in the empty lot on a dead end street where the only prize is a slap on the back and some skinned knees to brag about does not happen anymore. What happened to learning fundamentals and having fun as you are playing? And to be well rounded you must also find time for drama, speech, musical, volunteer and academic activities as well. I am not saying these activities are not a good thing as I have said before I learned just as much from my extracurricular activities then some of my classes at school, but it did ultimately take away from time for me and with my family. With all of the technology we have it sometimes seems we are too separated by our devices as we spend more time on them then in a conversation. I personally find it sad that my girls will probably never receive a hand written love (or rejection) letter as they grow up. 

Now don't get me wrong, I am not ready to become unwired or give up all my technology. As I started this entry with some of those things really make my life better and easier and in some cases technology advances are really saving lives. I just wish that attitudes and behaviors did not change with the technology as well. I do wish there was a way to have a better balance of both. 

It was sort of fitting that I started my day with this video by Miranda Lambert from her new song Automatic. My husband was telling me about it the other day as it sounded just like what I was talking about when I was sad to hear that due to budget cuts the librarian at my daughters school will only be available one day a week, because (in not these exact words) technology will be replacing the need for a librarian in the minds of the decisions makers in the district. 

The 'tail' end - what do you wish was still around from your past and how did it teach you to be a better person? 

Memory Lane

I have been given the wonderful opportunity to start a part-time teaching position at the school I attended growing up. It has really energized me back in to believing that education is the occupation I am meant for and made me think about some of the people who made me who I am today.

When I left my teaching job a little over a year ago to focus on my health, I truly believed I would never step foot in a classroom again. Postpartum depression had such a hold on me that I believed I was not meant to be an educator and the children I taught everyday would be scarred for life because I was their teacher. (Even though I had wonderful co-workers that told me over and over that what I was doing was okay, I could not hear it.)  It was not a pleasent mind to be inside of and I was ready to leave it all behind. Over the last year I have had a lot of time to think, reflect, and remember what is important. I also have a very smart father for giving me a nudge to send my information in for a few library positions which got me talking about what I had loved doing with the students.  Even though I didn't get the first or second job I interviewed for, I started to realize how much I missed working with students and made me better prepared for how to answer the questions in the future. It also helped when I ran into a former student and she said she was sad I wasn't teaching anymore, because she had so much fun learning in Language Arts with me.

I have always enjoyed this quote -

“One hundred years from now
It will not matter
What kind of car I drove,
What kind of house I lived in,
How much I had in my bank
Nor what my clothes looked like.
But the world may be ...
a little better because...
I was important in the life of a child.”

― Forest Whitcraft

And as I read the email from my high school alumni association asking for information about how I use my education I got growing up in my life now, I realized the above quote is so true. 

I remember the kind smile that welcomed me to Kindergarten and taught me to be kind to others. I remember the soft voice of my 1st grade teacher as she shared her love of reading books with us. I still remember the joy of our teacher having twins on Veteran's Day, and anticipation of her coming back to teach us again.  (I never ran in the hallway again after another 2nd grade teacher stopped me and drug me back to my classroom -I swear by my ear - to start all over again!) I remember the joy of a mother watching her son get on the bus to go to Kindergarten outside our window each day in 3rd grade. And the other life lessons she pulled in to teach us as notes were passed and feelings were hurt as we grew into little people. I remember what a warm fuzzy and a cold prickly feel like because a guidance counselor took the time to help us explore our feelings even if we didn't realize that is what we were doing. I love to read books because my elementary librarian took the time to share books with us and create a place where my friends and I could come to read and challenge each other to read new books. I still remember devouring The Orphan Train Children series as a 3rd grader and waiting for my friends to be done to so we could move on to the next one and talk about what we had read. I cannot forget the heartache of having a new teacher mid-year in 4th grade when our teacher made the mistake of trying to make some quick money and got caught up in selling drugs. And even though it was not the same, our new teacher did not miss a beat and taught us what we needed to know! I remember the fear of having the only male teacher in elementary school for 5th grade, but the pride I had when he chose me to be the narrator for A Christmas Carol - the class play we put on and shared with our fellow 5th graders. (I could even see myself sitting behind the wall where we hung our coats and saying my lines when I went to pick up a group of 2nd graders that inhabit that room now.) I also wondered how our Social Studies teacher that year made it through having our class - as I remembered the somewhat naughty things we used to do as we waited in line to go into her room (just imagine girls just starting to wear bras and the boys who wanted to tease them!) and the distraught look on her face as her class piled out after letting her know how much they did not like her. (It was not until I became a classroom teacher and got that same feeling that I understood how much that must have hurt her.) 

I remember my middle school principal who took it way to easy on me when I was told on for 'kissing' a boy in the kiln room in the back of the art room. I still do not understand to this day why he was so easy on me and hard on the boy, but I am sure there was a reason. I will never forget the laughter that filled the room when the teacher who took our chairs away if we were caught leaning back on them, lost her balance as she was joining us in reading for SSR with her feet up on her bottom drawer, but her chair decided to tip over and all we could see was her feet sticking straight up in the air! All she could do was laugh at herself! Although I can laugh about it now, because I understand I am tone deaf, I won't forget the hurt when the Choir teacher kindly tried to tell me Choir was not the place for me. I won't forget that a majority of my teachers in 7th grade were also my parents teachers and close to retirement, but still educated us each day to the best of their ability. I am still not sure what trick my 7th grade Science teacher knew, but he had a game he played on the board with drawing and erasing circles that he only lost twice in his whole teaching career. It still baffles me to this day. And who could forget the saying from our LA teacher when she was frustrated with how we were acting "You are dumber than my dog, and my dog is dead!" It was probably true as I have learned after spending 7 years as a MS teacher that middle school kids have a strange brain! Or the Social Studies teacher we could 'trick' into talking about his birds or Iowa sports instead of teaching us Social Studies for the day and the tootsie rolls he gave us when we had the right answer! I will also never forget the lesson I learned from my 8th grade Science teacher when I wrote my answers down to my test and gave them to a friend in the next class so she could use them when she took her test, but she got caught with them and we both failed the test. Or how about the two movies that are ingrained in my mind forever, one from 7th grade Science about animal cruelty and the beating of seals to kill them and the other of a man blowing to pieces at the beginning of Glory in 8th grade Social Studies. But I will also never be cruel to an animal or take for granted the fact that we are the country we are today because of the fight between two opposing viewpoints of our growing country. I will never forget the kindness of my 7th, 8th, and 9th grade basketball coaches after I pulled my achilles tendon and realized I am not coordinated enough for basketball, but they still included me as the manager for the team, until the parents and girls became too competitive for me to understand why missing one point on their stat chart was a big deal when I was watching all five of them trying to get it all down. 

I will not forget how to give a speech thanks to great LA teachers in 8th and 9th grade - which came in very handy in Oral Communications in college. I will also never forget how embarrassed I could make my 10th and 11th grade English teacher when I chose to do research papers on birth control, teen pregnancy, and AIDS (just to get him riled up) and the slightly r-rated scenes I threw in my fiction creations in creative writing. I really want to send him a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey and tell him that could have been me if he hadn't stifled my creativity. (He didn't totally put it out, just enough to make me wonder if I was doing something wrong...) I would love to thank my 12th grade comp teacher and HS Librarian for ALL their tips on research and writing. I was truly prepared for college because of them. We had a Science department that kept us thinking - with mystery labs, dissections, and the periodic table. And if I could I would thank my HS Physics teacher for giving me a hard time for deciding to take a different class at semester because I would never need to know Physics in my real life. (A story I told all of my 6th grade Science classes when we began our study of Physical Science at the beginning of the year!) I will never claim that Math is my strong suit, but I do understand Algebra because of wonderful Math teachers who would not give up on my non-math brain. I proudly kept that A circular trigonometry test until I left home for college and I will never forget that 12x5 is 60 after I was called to remember it on the spot everyday for a week until I could remember my simple math facts. Our how about my business teacher who could always tell when you weren't quite paying attention in class and would find that moment to call on you with a question like 'what color is the grass' to bring you back in and make sure you were listening the next time he randomly called on someone. I can also know help my husband each year get his taxes ready for our family farm because of the time I spent being the only student learning computer accounting (the wave of the future) my Senior year. I also had amazing Social Studies teachers that took the time to be sure we were learning the newest things in education. I still remember doing a Hyperstudio project for American History and the painstaking time it took to make and edit each slide so it would present just right! It makes me appreciate Prezi so much more now! I can also still tell you what the Bay of Pigs Invasion was from verse I had from the We Didn't Start the Fire project. I can still hold my own in a debate and realize that I am not always right and that is okay because our government teacher was smart enough to engage us in debating topics that interested us and brought in state legislators to let us debate with too. We may have also prepared a young teacher for his future career when he joined us as a first year teacher our Senior year. We may not have been the best behaved when we lost all our participation points in one class period or drove off in a friends car that was acting as the visual aid of a time machine, but we did make up for it when we created the shirts with his picture and sold them to anyone who wanted them to say we were sorry for the hell we gave him. It probably didn't make up for our behavior, but we were seventeen and didn't really know any better at the time. (not an excuse - just the truth!) I will never be as healthy as I was in high school when my PE teachers made sure I was getting my exercise two to three times a week and made sure I participated even though I would rather walk then run and I could always manage to 'forget' who got me out in dodge ball so I could sit on the sidelines most of the class. I can also be a good mom and wife because I had Home Ec teachers that allowed us to learn how to follow a recipe and drive a car and quiet a crying electronic baby at the same time. Or the French teachers who took on the tough job of teaching us a new language at an age far beyond when brains were ready to learn it. And taking time out of their summer to take us to France to explore the culture. Especially for not sending us home when we got a little too immersed in the culture and drank a beer in a cafe she saw us leaving with the empty glasses on the table. I even learned the hard lesson that those decisions follow you home when I sat in front of a panel of teachers to defend my character as a National Honor Society member if I made the decision to drink underage. I still believe I had a lot of character to own up for my mistake by admitting to drinking the beer in the cafe, but it is true it was not good character to drink in high school. I may not have understood it at the time, but by making the decision to remove me from NHS you taught me the lesson that actions have consequences and that is better than any lesson I could have learned about math or writing. I would not be the person I am today without the influence of my high school journalism teacher and all the things he taught me about investigating, writing, and creating a great publication. He is the reason I pursued television broadcasting in college but ultimately realized I was meant to work with students and pass on my kindness and knowledge to others, thus continuing for my masters degree in School Library Media Studies. His truth, honesty, and pursuit to help us learn in everything we did has truly made me who I am as an educator and a person. 

I can also not forget the pride I felt when I heard some teachers talk about how they would miss our class when we graduated because we were so caring and for the most part all got along, even with underclassmen. I think it helped we started off the year on an exciting note by bringing the wooden pig home from Manchester with a shocking 50 point victory on the football field, had a football team that broke out in a Righteous Brother song at the Homecoming Pep Assembly, and had the first winning football season in 10+ years. That was a lot coming from the class they were afraid to have in high school because we were the only 7th grade class stripped of our field trip privileges because of our classroom behavior and the class that broke the shocks on the school bus when we came for freshman orientation because we were bored waiting for the bus driver and decided to jump up and down to see what it might do to the bus. I think you could say we grew up just a little. 

I have learned a lot of life lessons since I graduated from high school, but would not be where I am today if all the people who took the time to educate me as a child and young adult would not have been there to start me on my way. I only hope I can be half of that for some child someday. (even if they realize it or not)

I also know I would not be who I am without my family and friends and they have shown up in other posts like I do not regret the things I have done, but those I did not do and many more that will still be written! 

The 'tail' end - please share any of your memories from a special teacher(s) in your life! 

Farm Living is the Life for Me (Green Acres Theme Song)

 As the crops begin to be harvested and the fields fill up with heavy equipment I want to take a minute to share about the husband who is truly my rock, puts up with everything about me, and works harder then anyone I know (even if I do tell him often he does works too much)

I have to admit that I grew up in town and loved every minute of it. I suppose it helped that my house was less then a block away from the swimming pool, there were four of us the same age, my backyard neighbors had a playhouse, and we had an empty lot on a dead end street that became a regular place for softball and kick the can games. It created some of the best memories and friendships of my life.

But know that I am raising my own family, I have to say growing up on a farm is pretty amazing for my kids. I may sometimes complain to my husband about his long hours, how he always has something to do, and grumble a little about feeding calves in the dark in the morning and evening this time of year, but when I stop to think about it my kids are gaining so much.

Because I have always been a fan of the Top 10 List, but I also like odd numbers (my wedding started at 3:08) here are 11 reasons why it's a benefit for my kids to grow up on a farm.

1. Going on a kitty hunt
I recently had the joy of following my girls around the barn in search of two small kittens that had found a home behind the milking parlor. We pointed and coaxed patiently for them to come see us.
It produced a lot of giggles and stories about why the kitties were hiding from us.

2. Exploring the hay mountain (as my 5 year old calls it)
Bailing hay and straw are probably among the jobs I look least forward to on the farm, (I am kind of a wimp) but my daughters thinking filling up the hay mountain is an amazing experience. They especially love climbing the bails and exploring all around.

3. Feeding a baby calf
I may get frustrated the first time, when it hasn't quite got the hang of drinking from a bottle yet, but after that it is a pretty rewarding job.. It gets even more interesting when the bottle is finished but the calf is still hungry and begins to suck on your fingers!

4. Driving the 4wheeler or combine in the field
I have never heard so much excitement come from my daughters stories as from those about driving the farm equipment with their dad. Their faces light up as they explain every detail about pushing the throttle or steering the wheel.

5. Rides on tractors
My oldest daughter has been riding since she was four months old, my middle daughter will follow her dad around waiting for a ride, and my youngest daughter knows when it's time to go stand by the tractor to get her ride. There must be a great view from the seat of daddy's knee.

6. A red heeler as part of the family 
She may mistake you for a cow every now and then by nipping at your heels, but you will not find anyone tougher or more protective yet still fun and loveable. She loves her belly rubbed and wants in on the game of catch.

7. A journey down the lane
The best time to watch this is when my girls come home from school. You can hear them chatter about their day or what they plan to do with the rest of it. It is also a bike trail/raceway or a journey to the mailbox.

8. The snow drifts
I am sure these are my husbands least favorite, but it still warms my heart to bundle up with the girls and explore the drifts or use them as a sledding hill. A cup of hot cocoa and giggles is a great way to warm up after.

9. Wide open spaces to explore and imagine
The other day I found my two oldest girls inside the boat we store for my nephew 'fishing' off the side and 'floating' down the river. We also have enjoyed voyages around the hay field to games of eye spy as we explore.

10. Observe the life cycle in action
My girls have set glued to the gate watching their daddy pull a calf and traveled on the skid loader to help bury a calf who was not strong enough to make it. And every summer we attempt a garden with different vegetables we want to see grow from seeds to plants. I also remember a friend who grew up on a farm telling me how her and her brother used to pull up a five gallon bucket to sit on and bet on if the piglets would be boys or girls!

11. See how hard work accomplishes many things 
Even though my husband and I sometimes argue about this.  I believe kids should enjoy being kids and he has been helping on the farm since he could walk. But our kids do help with chores and see how hard their daddy works everyday to make the farm work and continue the work his mom and dad started.


The 'tail' end - Share some special things about where you raise your kids! 

Below is the Dodge commercial that makes me so proud my husband is a farmer -