Education at the farm

This weekend we were at my mom and dad's house. I grew up on a dairy farm and though my sister, brother, and I weren't always grateful for the opportunities it gave us as kids, I can see its value now that I have my own kids. They love coming to "oma and opa's house" and going to the barn with them at night. They each get their own little wheelbarrows and help Oma feed the calves. They watch Opa milk the cows in the milk parlour and help Oma feed the calves milk and hay. There is so much opportunity for them to learn here. On Friday night a cow was birthing. The little calf's legs were sticking out and my little Austen was completely amazed at this. "How does it get born?" and "What is THAT?!" were some of the questions we fielded. Saturday night I took all 3 kids to the barn because Ian got that awful stomach flu that we have all passed around in the last few days. Mason in the stroller, Megan on a bike, and Austen with his wheelbarrow. We watched Oma milk the heifer (and learned all about how a heifer becomes a cow and starts to give milk) and Opa milk the cow with the "medicine bracelet" around its leg (and learned all about the milk that doesn't go in the tank). We watched Oma milk the cows in the milk parlour and Mason fell asleep in the stroller, watching the other 2 follow Oma from cow to cow, and listening to the monotonous hum of the milk motor. Austen came with me to herd the cows and he got a bit startled when a curious cow came closer to sniff him.
Even though as a kid I despised the sweeping, the shoveling manure, the lugging hay, and all the other "fun" farm jobs, I am glad we can give my kids the opportunity to learn about farm life and its importance.