Thankful for Farm Play

     This weekend we hosted the Kentucky Hereford Association state show and annual meeting at our family's business, Burley Fields Livestock Center. Events like this are more fun than work because we are with lifelong friends and fellow beef producers.
     As much as I love beef cattle and having the opportunity to see good cattle, the kids are the best part of any livestock show. With our youngest graduating high school only a week ago, it is a reminder that it has been a few years since we've packed the bucket of farm toys or the ride-on horse that was often tied in our stalls as a pretend show heifer. This weekend's show had a large group of kids in attendance with a variety of ages. All the kids were polite, respectful, and 100% beef producers, however it was the youngest group, ages 4 to about 9, that grabbed my attention and held it for the duration of the show.
     They spent most of their time together, this small group of about 10 kids, both boys and girls, and they played the entire time they were not with their cattle or in the show ring. One of their favorite play areas was the sale ring where they had their own auctions, complete with pretend sale cattle, and took turns being the auctioneer. They also held their own rodeo, riding bulls, but I'm not sure who came out with the most points.
     Our wonderful dog, Sophie, was also a large part of their play. She was thrilled with all the attention and followed the group around, gladly lying down whenever they decided it was time to rub the dog. I'm not sure who enjoyed that the most.
      It was so cute to see them all bent over something in the driveway, some of the boys actually sitting down, studying something in the gravel. My daughter said maybe they have found a bug, but I knew immediately that it was a frog, a dead frog that had been run over earlier that day. It struck me then just how lucky our farm kids are that they have the instinct to play, to be fascinated by a frog, to not be in despair because they are missing a favorite television show, or wanting a tablet or cell phone in their hands to play a game.
     I'm so happy that these kids have that natural curiosity to play, just like I did and my kids did. I'm happy that we have only a handful of video games in my home, and that my kids were playing at the barn or on the farm instead of sitting in front of the TV.
     Thankful for farm play.

 I didn't take photographs of the kids playing this weekend so I had to include a photograph of Blake with his "heifer" that we hauled to every show.