Today I went to our county fair (the second county fair I've gone to this year) to see the lamb judging. Two of "my" kids were showing their lambs. These are NOT the typical lamb you see in a field, these are well groomed lambs with closed cropped wool and black feathered leggings. The kids have been working with their lambs all summer, teaching them manners. Some of the kids were very successful--others not so much. My kids did well in their division, with one winning grand champion and the other "tying" for grand, but the judge gave it to the other lamb.
I love watching all the kids show their critters. It takes a lot of work to get untrained baby critters to show-worthy in a few short months. The kids have to feed and tend to their critter on a daily basis. They can't take time off for snow or sickness or the weekend. The critters need to be trained to walk by their child and follow some basic commands. That type of training cannot be done in a couple of weeks before the fair--it has to be done for months. Mom and dad give a big helping hand too, as it's a family affair getting the critters ready for fair. When fair arrives, the kids are cleaned up and shiny, just like their critters. Our county asks that the kids were clean blue jeans and a white shirt. While they can't wear cowboy hats, they can wear boots. One little girl had blue pinpoint lights randomly flashing on her boots--as far as I was concerned, they were the best boots EVER. I was fascinated with her colorful boots and maybe judge was too, as she won one of the prizes.
When I taught a hundred years ago, the 4H kids always seemed to do "better" than the others. They knew how to work hard to reach a goal. They were "on top of things." The kids who did not have the 4H experience had to play catch up. The non-4H kids were usually city kids, while most of the 4H kids were country kids. The country kids knew what it was like to raise a critter from farm to market and the city kids did not have a clue. The 4H experience taught them what to do and when to do it. Skills that are needed throughout life. 4H might be for critters, but the critters include the kids.
As for me, I was the city kid. I never paid much attention to 4H or to raising livestock. I knew city ways well and living on a ranch or farm was not in my realm of experience. I knew how to take care of a parakeet and a cat. The thought of taking them to a "show" was not on the radar screen. Needless to say I did well as school, but I would have been more well-rounded with the 4H experience. That was then, this is now. 4H is a program I support with a full-heart. I'm sure there are other programs "out there" that work with kids to make them better people, and my hats go off to them too. It takes a lot of work to get an untrained "baby" (of any variety) to be a worthy individual. Remember, we're all in this together.
No comments:
Post a Comment