When my daughter was about 4 years old, she went to feed the chickens (we had about 200 in our flock) and she came back in crying as the rooster kept attacking her.
I calmed her down and gave her one of those big Fat Albert wiffle ball bats and went out with her.
At first she was scared and wanted to run when the rooster came at her. Gradually, she gained confidence and when the rooster came at her, she hit a home run.
The rooster went tumbling through the air, and hit the ground stunned. It shook it off and decided to attack her again. This time she was ready and full of confidence, hitting another home run.
Soon she was laughing as she ran after the rooster, chasing it with the bat.
The rooster never bothered her again.
I attribute that specific event as the turning point in my daughter developing a strong self confidence in her life. Fear was never a problem, especially as she became an athlete through high school, college, and still today as she is approaching 40 years old with several children of her own.
Her battles with our nubian dairy goat that had long horns and that loved to head butt you from behind was another story. However, she eventually won that battle too after a few wrestling matches.
Farms are the best place to raise children. It helped having 5 older brothers too.
Great story. God bless your daughter. Thanks for sharing.
“Farms are the best place to raise children.”
We watch reruns of “The Incredible Dr. Pol” (a vet) on NatGeo Wild. We’re amazed at the farmers’children! They’re up at 5 am and maintain the animals, including the ones they’re showing at the fair for 4H.
After school, they’re mucking our stalls, helping to “pull calves” during birth, bottle feeding calves and goats whose mother’s can’t nurse. More work after school. Added to that is the fact that they’re SMART. Extremely well spoken and are good problem solvers.
One 16-year-old girl drove her horse to the vet in a huge pickup truck, pulling an even bigger horse trailer. She was hefting that rig like nobody’s business. Doc commented that it was good that her parents let her use it. She was insulted. “This is MINE!”
Kids I know don’t even clear the table after a meal. It’s to much effort.
Our rooster never bothered her again, either.