"How many kids get to wake up to a sunrise like this every morning"
Life is never unexciting out on the farm if the cows are not out, than it's the horses jumping the fence. One thing after another keeps us farm kids pretty busy. It's hard to juggle school, chores, taking care of animals, friends and sometimes sports. Sometimes when I'm waking up early on a Saturday morning to go help dad feed cows I think to my self, wouldn't it be nice to be a city kid and get to actually sleep in on a Saturday? Than as I slowly drag my self out of bed and as I go outside to smell that fresh crisp air and hear the baby calves balling happily in the field I know I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.
School work is a major priority in my life but it can get pretty hard to do all of it when I have so many other things to do. I don't know how many times I have had to use the lines "the cows got out" or "had to help dad pull a calf" as excuses for why my homework was not done or just being late for class. Another thing that can cause a lot of missing school is cattle shows, horse shows, or just taking days off to help around the farm. These days can really add up, and for us farm kids it can make it extra hard to keep up with our school work. When I hear some of my urban friends complaining about all the homework they have I just tell them I have to do it too, along with multiple other chores that are suppose to be done when i get home.
Horses and cattle are my life, if anyone had to tell me to pick between them I just certainly could not do it. But I must say it can get pretty annoying when these two things clash together. Like going from riding lessons to 4-H meetings all in one night, can be pretty stressful. Or when horse shows are the same time as cattle shows and you can't decide which one to do because both of them are equally as important. I was in horse 4-H for a few years and actually never got to show at 4-H on Parade because my beef animals came first.
Now all this stress and hard work can sure pay off in the end though. Farm kids are taught good work ethics. This can be very helpful when applying for jobs and what not. Being able to work hard at something and getting it done is something that can be very helpful in life. Even my teachers at school have commented on how I always complete my work in class and don't get distracted easily. Being pro-activ is another important skill to have in life, and just by being out on the farm you learn to manage your time well, get things done, and not wait around until last minute to do things. Animals are not something you can deal with later, they need you all the time. Television time is limited as well, I can honestly say I don't watch a lot of TV at all because I never get time to. But this is not a bad thing at all, a lot of kids waste a lot of time watching TV when they could be out doing more useful things with their time.
Sometimes spending a good day on the farm can be just as educational as a day in school. When we are heavy into calving season and the vet sometimes comes to visit I can confidently say I learn more watching him do a sesarian C-section on a cow than I do sitting in science class. The knowledge that you pick up is unreal, on top of that and school work your mind gets as much education fit into it as possible. You learn new things everyday.
Maybe farm kids are child slaves, that have a lot more work on their plate than normal kids. But you can ask anyone of them and they would most definitely say they would not give it up for anything in the world!
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