1) What is said or done out in the barn stays in the barn. In my family there was no arguing or wrestling in the house! Mom made it very clear that if we had enough energy to fight we had enough energy to clean! It did not take us very long to make the barn our ultimate wrestling arena. Being tied to poles, shoved off a fence, or getting dunked in the cows one-hundred gallon watering trough were all fare in this war! May the strongest, smartest, and quickest girl win! When mom and dad asked where the bruise came from, why there were tears running down our faces, or why our hair was tussled, our answer were always the cows did it! The number one rule was to not tell the real story!
2) Making forts in the hay mound! Organizing the hay bales just right so that everyone could fit into the fort, and of course take part in the secret meeting! This is way better than any blanket fort!
3) Playing truth or dare in the barn. This is way more intense than any sleep over truth or dare. We are talking lifting things heavier than you weigh, having milk squirting contests straight from the udder, and having to tell the deepest darkest secret you have ever held.
4) I am sure not all farm kids played Cadet kelley, but this is the famous game known to the McKenna family! After watching the Disney movie Cadet Kelley we marched out the barn, and created our own game! Caton being the oldest was immediately the Sergeant ordering the rest of us around. We would have to do any obstacle she had in mind like carrying hay bales, filling the water troughs using buckets instead of hoses, and who could milk the goats the fastest. She was very smart and normally during the game would have us do her chores, and then she announce the game was over! As she marched in the house Kerri, Betsey, and I were left to finish our own chores.
5) For those that are truly dedicated to their animals they will even taste the food that their animals eat. No the food will no kill you, however, from personal experience I would not recommend milk replace it is not the best choice of drinks!
6) Show season brings about shaving the cows before the fair in order to make sure that they look their best. In my family my parents were very serious about not letting us girls shave out legs until we were old enough. Oh but there is always a way around every rule! The forty blade used on the cows udder were perfect for the job. Betsey and I trusted each other enough to shave each others legs!
7) Going out to do chores later than the normal in the dark can be very scary! Betsey and I would also grip each others hands and sing, "Jesus Loves Me" thinking that if anyone was in out barn, and they heard us singing a Christian song they would not hurt us. However, the only thing that was behind any door or turn was another sister, specifically Kerri, waiting for us so that she could be the monster to scare us!
8) Going to school with numerous injuries caused on the farm, and all of your friends gathering around to hear what could have possibly happened
! The main one getting a pitch fork stabbed in my foot. The pain might have been horrible, but now the story is fun to tell.
9) Being locked in a chicken coop for three hours and having to escape through a tinny window by my wonderful sister Betsey who is truly a ginger! However, she did have to do my chores for three weeks!
10) Being able to proudly say that you have raised animals from birth, and created a bond with this animal so that she comes running to the sound of her name!
There have been plenty of wonderful times and tragedies that have taken place on my farm, but through it all I would never have traded the memories, experience, or responsibility that I have been given! Not everyone has the opportunity to grow up on a farm, but every person has a connection to agriculture! Never take for granted the childhood you were given, and make the most of everyday and memory made!
