“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.
The day I turned 16, I went to the State Police for my driver’s license. It was the same day my learner’s permit became valid, as in Pennsylvania you cannot drive until you are 16.
The State Trooper passed me the first try, and asked me how many years I had been driving. He added, I can tell you drove country roads as you swing wide on the corners.
I replied, “I had to swing wide on the corners as I had a hay wagon full of bales connected to the back of the pickup.”