My son Alexander at work on the ranch.
A year ago, if you’d asked me whether the U.S. Dept. of Labor should regulate child labor on farms and ranches, I would have stood up, done a big ole fist pump, and shouted “Heck yes! Go git ‘em!” Visions of Dickensian exploitation would have swirled in my head.
But that was before this (formerly) liberal city girl actually met a traditional cowboy and started spending most weekends on a 10,000-acre cattle and hunting ranch. Let me explain.
I am the single mother of a son who is now 11. He is my only child. When the cowboy first met my son, Alexander was 10 and couldn’t tie his own shoes properly. This is not an exaggeration. My son “couldn’t” do lots of things, and I accepted the diagnoses (read: excuses) the school system gave me for it. He had “gross motor delays” or possible “sensory integration issues” or whatever.
Then along came the cowboy. He took one look at my sloppy, lazy, video-game addicted son, chuckled, and insisted the only thing wrong with the boy was his mom, his schools and his culture, who/which had never required or demanded anything from him. Literally within hours of interacting with my child in a new (strict) way, the cowboy managed to turn him around.
It was like a miracle.
This improvement in my son’s behavior escalated when he began to join me at the ranch. There, my son did chores. Tough chores. He lifted, raked, swept. He cared for animals. The cowboy let my son know he expected the boy to be up at dawn, dressed, his bed made, and ready to work before he was going to be allowed to use the Kindle or DS.
My son helps the cowboy stack cedar staves.
The result? At first, I was horrified. I thought the cowboy was being really hard on my boy. But to my great city-girl, liberal mom surprise, my boy…blossomed. Under the traditional, conservative, hard-ass rural discipline of the cowboy, my son simply stopped having social problems. He became polite. He made the A honor roll. He asked me how my day was. He grew physically strong, and joined football, basketball and track in the city. He was reborn. He had no disorders.
And best of all, he became happy and proud of himself. He could do stuff. This amazed him. In the squishy liberal enclaves of the city, no one had expected he could do much at all. In fact, the only thing we’d required of him was that he like us, because it was all about us, the adults, getting our emotional needs met.
Now Hilda Solis, our nation’s labor secretary, is trying to pass legislation that would make my son’s participation in ranch life illegal. (Full disclosure: Solis once gave me a literary award on behalf of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus and I consider her a friend.)
While I understand the well-meaning desire to protect poor and migrant children from exploitation, I now see that this issue is not as black-and-white as I (and lots of city folks) might once have thought.
The new law makes exemptions for children whose families “own” farms or ranches. That’s nice and all, but it won’t help us, or the countless families who live on ranches and farms but don’t actually own them.
In our case, the ranch is owned by a family in another state, and the cowboy lives on it and manages it for them. My son is not related to the cowboy, or the owners. Under these new regulations, my son will be prohibited from doing the very work that turned his life around.
Kids who grow up working on farms and ranches are some of the most confident and polite children I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I am proud to count my son among them now.
I also think that a big part of the behavior “disorder” epidemic among city kids (especially boys) is related to the lack of physical work and discipline (self discipline) in their lives, the very things they get working on farms and ranches.
My son listens, the cowboy teaches.
Tagged: child labor, childhood disorders, city kids, Department of Labor, discipline problems, farmlife, ranchlife, rural kids
I really liked your blog post about rural life and its benefits! It’s so great to hear your perspective and know that you’re being a very positive influence for agriculture! I bet you never thought that would be a role you would play
Tell your son to keep working hard! Great post!
Thank you so much! I’m learning lots being immersed in the ranch world. So much I didn’t know or understand before, still so much to figure out!
W hen I grew up I rode my bike six miles after school to a race horse farm and learned how to ride -gallop .break yearling horses to ride I was twelve years old and I worked the weekendstwo…$75.00 a week not bad.keep me off the streets,had money..Iloved it, oh yes by the way I turn out to be third leading rider at Churchill Downs 1980,when i was 19 I paid the goverment alot of money they liked me.
p.s my dad did picke me up if it was raining,,God love you son be proud of him ;;fight
Alisa,
Like so many of your posts, I LOVE this one! I’m an Iowa farmer’s daughter, raising a 15-year-old daughter. I was single a long time too, (married 4 years ago) and, although she has great grades, my daughter also spends waaayy too much time on her IPad watching NetFlix, etc. (I joke with my farmer friends that I need to send her to their farms around harvest time, put her to work!).
I’m also a former journalist (TV) and, like you, now devote my talents to helping the hard working farmers of Iowa spread the good news about the diversity of agriculture. God bless all your good work. Keep it up! I’ll watch for your book…..
Thank you, Laurie! Congrats on your marriage, and all best with the teenager!
As a reporter with an ag publicaton for 32 years and mother of five children and five grandkids, I share your concern. I, too, was a big city girl and I spent my adult life with a cowboy raising livestock. My family all benefitted from living and working with livestock. In fact, two of the boys have jobs in the industry still, and another still has a farm and livestock his children have shown and worked with. Working on the farm teaches responsibility, not only for their stock but for the other things they do in life. Just like the immigration laws, this law needs a lot more input and understanding of what they are doing by those trying to enact it. That seldom happens in Washington.
Got that right, Caryl!
Outstanding! I have been reading about this issue and have written on it myself since it first reared its ugly head. However, yours is the most cogent argument I have seen against these poorly thought out regulations. Great job!
Thanks! Wow. That is quite a compliment, and I really appreciate it.
This is a wonderful post! I was just talking about this topic with a friend this morning, and you are spot on. My life would have been completely different if I didn’t wake before school to break ice in the mornings or stay up late after ‘ball practice to feed my show heifers.
Thank you, Brooke. Obviously, you’ve turned out great — so I rest my case.
No offense, but you set a pretty dang low bar, even by city kid standards …
So true. I’d hang my head in shame except that I’m not like that anymore. LOL
This is fantastic! Getting a little bit dirty never hurt anyone. So glad you have been able to experience the rural lifestyle with your son. Too often people today think they are victims of circumstances they can’t control. This is as great story, and I’ll be sharing it for sure.
I have a two year old, who rides in the tractors and combines with me whenever he can. I can hope he’ll grow up to be as responsible and productive as your young man.
Thank you! I am sure your son will turn out great.
Just in the last few hours. Proposal withdrawn!
http://www.dol.gov/whd/media/press/whdpressVB3.asp?pressdoc=national%2F20120426.xml
Reblogged this on The Farmer's Life and commented:
Such a great post about what it’s like for kids to work on a farm or ranch that I had to share it here for you to see. Even better that it’s written by someone from the city.
Much appreciated.
I 100% agree with all of this! I don’t think I could add anything that hasn’t already been said, but great post. Working with animals in general, whether it be dogs or livestock, have provided some of the best experiences of my life so far.
Thanks, Jess. Your experience seems to be the norm.
I would love to see this article in the Sacramento Bee or L.A. Times!
Hmm…not a bad idea!
It makes me smile each time I read one of your posts. Thank you for being so open and honest about your past, but especially your present and future. There are so many of us who love to read it.
Very kind, Kristin. I appreciate your support.
Thank you for sharing this important story of the value of the work ethic and benefit of youth on the farm. All the best to you and your son. Please help convince Sec. Solis she is simply wrong on this issue, and needs to drop this very damaging plan.
I put a link to this post on her Facebook page with a little note. We’ll see if she’s listening…
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My husband has practiced medicine for 35 years. He grew up farming – not on a family farm, but for neighbors and people in his father’s parish.
He would not be the man he is today without the work skills, discipline and self-confidence these experiences afforded him.
The government needs to back off.
Cathy – Thanks for sharing. I meet more and more people like your husband every day, people who’ve worked from an early age and who not only did not suffer because of it, but soared because of it.
Great story of transformation. I think everyone with kids should read this. thanks!
What an awesome compliment! Thank you.
The Michigan Farmer Newspaper published the article on the new labor laws last yr,.. according to the new law a 15 yr old wasnt safe operating a chordless drill (powertool) or handing hay,,, 4 pages after this article was an article on the new hunting law changes,,, now allowing 10 yr olds to hunt bears with loaded higher power rifles,,, so lets see if we have this correct,, it is unsafe and illegal for a 15 yr old to handle hay or a chordless drill but it is safe and legal to send a 10 yr kid into the woods with a loaded high power
rifle to shot and kill ( or worse wound)large things like bears????
Wow. That’s an incredible contrast. Sometimes you just have to scratch your head and do a Scooby “huruh?”
I loved your article and reading about a different perspective than mine. My hubby and I run a ranch along with the help of our 3 beautiful young daughters so if you ever need more first hand info we love to share! We will have a very hard time here if the child labor laws pass. Not good for us at all. Not only are we raising a safe beef product but we are raising hard working, dedicated and well rounded adults too!
We love to share our passion for farming and ranching. Thangs agsin for your great article.
You are very welcome, Kimmel. Thanks for stopping by.
so basically you were unable to raise or “train” your kid so you had someone else do the work for you? nice. I am not against child labor on ranches. I grew up on ranches too and think there’s nothing wrong with working kids on them. But it sounds to me like you failed to take the initiative as a mother and step up to the plate and discipline your kid, so you had someone else discipline him.
Joey – Not sure what’s more disturbing, your characterization of child-rearing as “training” or your overly simplistic view of family life and love. Glad you stopped by anyway.
That “Someone else” as you put it, happens to be a significant (Male) part of that child’s life–and by the accounts I’ve read–positively.
I think it’s pretty clear that Mother stated she was a self-anointed “City kid” so therefore her perspective on what “training” her child received had a lot less to do with “failed initiative” and more do to with what schools, and society in general tells us what is wrong with our children.
I think rather than making a sweeping generalization on a Mother’s actions (or in-actions, in your perspective) you ought to re-read the post.
I cannot fathom being a single mother. Hell, I can’t imagine being a married father. The very idea of it scares me to death–but the fact that one kid: ANY kid, has come away feeling more confident, self-assured, and responsible from some good ol’ fashioned ranch chores is what should be celebrated here.
Good for you Alexander. You can work as a hand at my place anytime.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I love cowboys. Thank you for defending me so beautifully, Ty. Much appreciated.
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It’s amazing what happens when boys are allowed to be boys. I’m happy you were brave enough to allow disciple and physical activites into your sons life. As a nation we’ve raised a whole generation of children with “issues” similar to your sons. Some of these kids do have real problems but most of them are like your son. As a parent, educator, and scout leader I applaud you for having the courage to admit that your 11 year could barely tie his shoes. The way the “system” is set up today gives parents and children excuses instead of expectations. Your son is successful because the cowboy expected him to be. God bless the cowboy.
Thank you, Tracy. I was pretty clueless, having been raised with few boundaries myself, among hippie academic types. It takes strength to impose real rules upon kids, but that’s exactly what children need. They don’t need us to be their friends. They need us to be their parents and leaders.
This is a wonderful post. Thank you so much for writing it. I am very concerned about the proposed labor regulations—Because I own and manage a cattle feed yard, under the proposed regulations, it would be illegal for me to have my children on my cattle farm with me. We are a family farm. In fact, the biggest reason that my husband and I moved back to his family’s farm in Nebraska was because we wanted our children to grow up involved in our family business and learning “where their food comes from”. Working on a farm teaches responsibility and instills confidence in our youth.
It is disappointing to me that the Department of Labor lacks so much faith in my ability to parent that they would make it illegal for my children to spend time with me on my farm just because it is a feed yard. My children’s safety is a constant priority to me–I may be the “boss lady” at a cattle feed yard but I will always be my kids “Mama”. That being said, I think that my girls learn valuable life lessons learning to take care of animals.
I will be blogging myself on this topic next week. Again, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this important issue.
Anne
Anne – I will be looking for your blog post! Please be sure to let me know through twitter or facebook? I agree that the “safety” issue is sort of silly, especially when you take into account how many sorts of dangers there are in this world, and how many irresponsible parents there are who daily subject their kids to neglect etc. I’m sure your kids are great, and safe with you. Keep up the good work, and keep raising your kids right. xo
I grew up on a ranch and I believe that having hogs, horses and other animals you learn to read the animals, you learn how to be observant and aware of your surroundings. An example of this is when I was driving through town and a young man just started crossing the street paying no attention to traffic and concentrating on his smart phone, I luckily saw him an waited, but I can’t say that if it was another driver he could have gotten hit.
Hi there, I really felt that I had to say THANK YOU for saying this. As a city turned horse girl at the age of ten, I learned what hard work was. I grew my love for horses and now struggle to teach college riders HARD WORK. I’m also a therapist in North Carolina. It makes me physically ILL to learn how lazy some of these kids are. Kids that hit, kick, punch my staff when they hear “no” or dont get their way. Honestly, I feel that my work has kept me from having kids, because I dont want my future kids to be around those kids! its hard watching society deteriorate so badly.. I have to watch parents just want to medicate their child and not PARENT and teach rules! THANK YOU for writing this blog and bringing light to this, I started working first in a boot camp/wilderness camp, and CANT say enough about those programs.
Wow, Jennifer. What you describe seeing in your job is sadly all too common. We are so quick to “diagnose” kids with “disorders” but fail to see just how much responsibility for the problematic behavior lies with bad parenting, lazy parenting, clueless parenting, selfish parenting. It takes time and effort to set boundaries, and consistency. I was as guilty as anyone else of just not knowing what to do or just not having the energy to do it, but that all changed when I met the cowboy. He really showed me how “my side” (the liberal side) was way off base on a lot of their parenting techniques. Kids crave boundaries. They test limits. As a lazy liberal mom I just wanted to give in and make my kid “happy” but in the end I was ruining him! So glad God brought the cowboy into our lives. He’s saved both of us, me and my child.
Our kids need to work on these farms, ranches, etc. It teaches them hard work and discipline.
Thank you, Kelly!
I picked strawberries when I was 11. I spent my teenage years in 4-H with my horse and helped my family doctor with fencing, roundups, etc. When I graduated from high school I was a flag girl for spray planes during the summer. City Kitties (people) have no idea how healthy and good for children to work on ranches, etc.
Agreed, Cyndi! Instead, city people “schedule” their kids to death with lessons, sports, etc — all of which, if I’m not mistaken, are somewhat analogous to farm or ranch “work” in that they are supposed to keep kids active, involved in the community and learning new skills…?
Bravo! As a midwestern suburban child I wanted desperately to live out west on a ranch. I had a decent work ethic (or so I thought) and left home at 17 determined to prove myself. I’m now 50 and living in the heart of ranch country in Montana. I hire kids every summer to haul hay and do chores. These are the kids who live in ‘town’ (population 400) and need not only work but a work ethic. The most important thing they learn is HOW to work — without checking texts constantly, or whining about how hot it is. The ranch kids here know what hard work is, they live it and breathe it. They do chores before and after school. So bravo to you! Well done.
Great story and congratulation to you for opening your mind and seeing how the other side lives. Cities are very artificial and un-real. Unhealthy places to raise kids. There’s nothing like getting closer to nature.
As for the bureaucrats and do-gooders who keep making more idiotic rules – we should fire at least half of them…
Very true.
Great posts! I recently blogged about this too. My husband and I farm in partnership with his parents. The new proposed regs talk about majority owner. Well my husband and I are just starting to buy into the farm and that means we only own 11% of it. I am all about safety for my children. It is the first thing on our minds each day. We have systems in place to make sure our 4yr old, 3yr old, and 10 month old are always somewhere safe and doing age appropriate jobs. How can a child learn about safety on a farm without actually doing it or being exposed to it? The safest place for our kids while we farm is having them come along with us as we model safe behavior. Here is my recent post and thank you for shedding light on this issue. http://zweberfarms.com/child-farm-labor-zweber-farms-style/
Hi Emily! Thank you for your kind words, and for sharing your blog with us. I love it! You are 100 percent right. It’s all about supervision and parenting. In the end, it seems to boil down to a basic disagreement about where responsibility for the well-being of kids lies; in cities there seems to be a tendency to place this task with the “government” and regulations, and it shows in the insane idea that more money will make teachers and schools “fix” kids; in the country it seems that more people understand that the ultimate roots of stability and success for children lies with the family, in the home (or on the farm or ranch). I look forward to reading more of your posts!
Most kids when they come to our ranch, it’s hard to keep them from wanting to help out, to work. “Can I help you feed the cows?” “I want to give the grain to the chickens.” “How do know how deep to dig that hole for the fence post?” And most of all, “LET ME DO IT.” And all that’s before they get to sit up with me on the tractor seat and push the pile of manure around…
I am glad you and your son met the Cowboy. I hope everybody gets to meet a real cowboy at some time in their lives…
Johnny – Yes! You raise an excellent point. Kids, when left to their own curiosity and nature, WANT to help. They WANT to learn. They WANT to feel important and helpful. The cowboy was the last man I ever thought I’d want or need, and yet he has turned out to be just what my son and I required. A true blessing.
When one of my daughters was in high school the only person that would hire her was a dairy farmer – and she milked cows for 3 years morning and evening – did she love the smell and the gross clothes and boots – no – but she loved the independence of being able to buy a car and save money for college. We farm – so she was raised on a farm – she wasn’t highly motivated to do well in school (though she was smart) – but she went to a wonderful university where she was hired as a lifeguard for the early morning lap swim because she had gotten up early to milk cows for 3 years – and when she needed extra money – she found a farmer outside this college town that needed help milking cows – he said she was the first university student to apply that actually had experience – this wasn’t an ag school – then she was off to another state to get a masters degree and while doing that applied to a prestigious university to run their recreation departments aquatics program – and was amazed that she was hired because of her young age – but she had developed a wonderful work ethic – by working on a farm – milking cows – she now has two masters and is a definite big city girly girl – but we are so proud of the person she has become and the dairy farmer and milking cows had a lot to do with that – she just applied for and was hired for another job that she wanted – one reason they gave for hiring her was she presented herself well in public and yet they felt she could also ride on the back of a truck and shoot the bull with the workers she will be directing – to get the job done – and that’s from working on the farm – experience she wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else……
Hi Melissa! I adore this story. I am so impressed with your daughter, and with your family. I’m glad she’s doing well in her new city life, and it’s obvious that her hard-working rural background helped her get there. Thanks for sharing.
Personally growing up in the Midwest, what the city folks call “Fly over country”, I think that the rural community truely have common sense and a work ethic that built this country. I have also been in the military and I saw the same parallels in the military work ethic and learning discipline and respect. Great article:)
Thanks, Wayne! Agreed, agreed, agreed. And now you’ve got me humming Jason Aldean’s “Flyover States”…a song my son and I listened to as we drove to the ranch not too long ago. I blogged about that experience, too… http://learningtosubmit.com/2012/03/04/how-spongebob-squarepants-made-my-son-afraid-of-cowboys/
Alisa, as always, beautifully-written. Candid, open, and very, very human. I would venture to tell you all the ways my rural upbringing and farm exposure helped shape me, but so many others have already done so. I just wanted to stop and offer a vote of support and tell you what a fine young man your son seems like. For all the credit you give your cowboy, let’s remember that you raised a son full of potential. You, as a single mother, created the foundation for who he is. Cowboy gave him some extra push in the right direction. Don’t sell yourself too short. Society already spends enough time doing that to us.
Kelly, thank you. You’re right. I got a little teary-eyed reading your comment. I do tend to sell myself short sometimes. I think a lot of women and moms do. I’ve certainly worked hard to be a good mother to my son, using whatever tools I had at the time. I think that city people have this disconnect from nature and its rhythms that ends up making them/us look for easy fixes to things that actually take hard work, like raising a child. But, yes. I need to step up and own all that I did right, and there was lots. There are many things city people can learn from rural people, but I suppose it works both ways. There are many valuable experiences my son gained living in the city, and attending city schools and events — like exposure to live symphonic music, or visits to the natural history museum, or field trips where he got to ride the city bus with his whole class to a play at the university. I feel blessed that my son will experience the best of both worlds, mine and the cowboy’s. Thank you again.
I am a Farm wife who has raised 3 children who have grown up working right along side of their Dad and I to help our farm survive. The children are adults now and still live in the country very close by, raising their children now in a similar lifestyle. It is so important for people to hear all the positive aspects that this lifestyle helps to raise very confident and respectful children into successful adults. For those that do not own their land or have family to help with the work are of course forced to hire help, many being high school kids that are looking for summer jobs. If this Legislation goes into effect our farms will not survive! AND then the consumer will finally understand how very serious this issue is, however will be too late!! Thank You for sharing your positive story to help educate others!
You are very welcome, Chris. Thank you for stopping by. We absolutely need to know all sides of an issue before we start passing laws…
I am totally in agreement with you
Well, then that makes you one of my favorite people ever.
We have A BUNCH of kids here in town who would be so much better off out there with you….
Yes! I know. I went to an event at my son’s new prep school in the city recently and was SHOCKED by how rude the kids seemed by comparison to the rural kids. They were slouchy, cynical, didn’t hold doors open for anyone, seemed bored and sardonic and generally obnoxious. I told my son he could go to that school on the condition that he never be like that, that he get what he could out of the academics and athletics, but that he continue to derive his social skills and morals from country life and the people we have come to know and love there. He got it, and was as appalled as I was by how entitled and clueless so many of these rich city kids are.
I grew up on a wheat and cattle ranch. We (Brother and 2 Sisters) all work on the farm participated in 4 H and developed our own herds of livestock from proceeds of selling stock at 4h shows. My dad told me of the Chirstmas party he had for school board my brother then a senior made deals with some of the board members. that Night he made more than the superentent was paid for the year.
I’m hoping to get my son involved with 4 H. The new law seeks to make 4 H obsolete, too, from what I’ve read, and put the government in charge of training youth with livestock. Ugh.
4-H is a fabulous thing! I did it for 8 years as a 4-Her and prior to that when I was to younge to do it I did open class (same thing you just don’t sell your animal. I showed swine and beef, Steers were my favoritE mind you they will get attatched to their animals (friend more like it) But it teaches them so much! I highly recommend it!
I am now a 21 year old woman, I grew up on an 820 acre ranch here in Oregon. I am PROUD to be a Ranch Girl; it has been in our family for over 150 years! To this day our family runs it, we grow our own hay and raise our own cattle that we also butcher ourselves and eat. I cherish every moment that I had, have, and will continue to have on that place! It had made me who I am today! How many girls do you know that can run heavy equipment, buck hay, build fence, brand cattle, run a chainsaw, and stand her own and keep up with them men? I love who I am and what I have grown to become, to make illegal for kids to do manual labor on farms and ranches would be a complete and utterly mistake!!! Hilda Solis, You are making a huge mistake! Clearly you have never experienced this life style and you probably do not care to but the best people I know in this world have a background in ranching or farming, and I think that all kids no matter what the age! If they are capable of work, they should work, I can remember when I was only about 5 years old, I was not strong enough to do much of anything, but I watched and learned and was good company to everyone I was with! By the time I was 9 years old I was helping my dad and family with everything, and loved it! When I was 10 I was actually capable of bucking 90-140lb bales, I still love haying to this day. I may have been yelled at a lot but I learned responsibility and discipline. I am a well shaped, strong and independent working (Manual labor) woman I am a firefighter both wildland and structure, and going to school to become a paramedic and I am someone who isn’t afraid to get a little dirty. To all you people who do not understand this life style, you need to do your research! because young kids may say at the time they hate it, but I guarantee when they grow up they will be thankful for the life they had and may still have like myself to grow up on a ranch/farm and doing manual labor.
Your blog was one of the best I’ve read in a long, long time. Maybe the government and politicians should just stop passing legislation and let people figure it out for themselves. All the legislation in the world is not going to fix family relationships. The solution is for parents to care and not pass off their kids to day care and public school teachers.
Thank you for this message! My family does farm and I want to keep it that way! I have a farm blog if you are interested in following it. It is winterfarmlife.blogspot.com
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I saw this late but I so agree that chores and had work can change a child around..I was just talking to my cowboy this morning on how he had certain chores to do before going to school and coming back..and how he didn’t have a tv in his house til he was 12! My girls, 6 and 5 always wnt to see tv..so we are making new rules..and we may have to instill chores…love your post as always!
As a cowgirl, farmgirl, who loves the life and has been trying to raise her kids with those same values and work ethics that have been passed down through the generations in my family, I thank you for sharing your story–we have been working hard to fight the DOL’s labor regulations to keep up these incredibly important traditions, and I so I really thank you again for sharing your story!!
My son is a 12 year old, squishy, lovable ball of goo that I love as much as my own life. I would never want him hurt or broken. But I know that as long as he is sheltered from hard work and expectations, he will be broken. More easily than any may assume given his size 10, 5’6″ 166 pound frame. I hope that BoyScouts is only our first real venture into doing responsible outdoor activities. Alisa, once again, you have inspired me.
It’s unfortunate that as illustrated in your article, nothing short of an individual’s own personal experience seems to be enough to enlighten some to the fact that the choices and lifestyles of others are nothing to automatically oppose.
Absolutely since the 70′s when labor didn’t want competition in their attempts to unionize farm labor, their spin was child abuse so laws were passed. The result is that youth who would love to find some type of employment can not so the next best thing they figure is to stand on the street corner and sell drugs. It pays more and there are no other options. Politicans jump on what ever bandwagon is getting the most press, pass laws with out regard to the consiquences. Here we are today, a ignorant unthinking bunch in congress putting forth more degradating laws underminining our childrens future. A young person who is working isn’t standing around on the corner selling drugs or breaking into homes. Open your eyes Obama!
So true, in 55 I worked on weekends at a service station, 7a to 7p hr for lunch. For $5.oo. Now no youngsters will work for $8 or $9 an hour, part time or anytime.
Excellent post! I live in Kansas and my class of Third Graders discussed this issue when it was a topic in Scholastic News recently. I was impressed that they felt so strongly about the fact that it was a BAD idea to make a law against children working on a farm especially since most of my class would be considered “town/city” kids!
I love this. In my case, my first job was in a restaurant at age 15. Precisely what I needed. But 15 years later, I worked on a farm with animals. Even better. Much better
I was raised on a farm. We had pigs, beef cattle and dairy cattle. My brother and I had our chores and I helped put up hay, milk, and raise the pigs. This was from 1947 to 1956 when we moved into town. I had a horse and my own calves and it taught me to work and do the things that needed done. I think the best compliment I ever got was when the local veternarian told me that I was the best hog wrestler he ever saw. It was hard dirty work but a lot of fun and there was plenty of time to fish and hunt small game. Most of the beureaucrats and politicians that consider these laws do not have any idea what they are talking about and simply want to continue the welfare mentality the country has fallen into over the pas 30 or 40 years.
Hi Alisa, I am a 56-yr old Idaho rancher who grew up on a Midwestern crop farm. My earliest memories include being around my family raising hogs and chickens, raising a vegetable garden,and picking wild blackberries. I loved every bit of it. Our own kids were raised on a livestock farm along with big vegetable garden and wild food to gather. We have had many city cousins come and stay with us along with non-related kids and I am proud to say we have helped shaped all of them into better citizens. The main thing wrong with kids in this country is nothing more than their parents. Learning basic work skills and self reliance would correct virtually every social disorder we have. IMHO. Thanks for your words of encouragement to parents and kids alike. I am happy you and Alexander have found a new world.
Very happy for you, Alisa, for your son and for the Cowboy. Dept of Labor backed up on this today. In fact, they said “We’ll NEVER do that again.” I don’t really believe them, but I have to think your story helped.
Best wishes to all y’all.
John Shelton
This legeslation is just another step in the process of socializing America. You only can do what the government says you can do. If you try to have initiative and do things yourself, you will be stopped. I was raised on a farm, and hard work never hurt me. The things I do now, keep me more uninvolved to wanting to keep myself in good shape, than when I was working. Am now 75 years old, and Worked hard most of those years. If I had been raised in the city, I probably would never have tried a lot of the things I have done.
Good luck to you and your boy. Hope you really keep hold of that “Cowboy”…
Thanks for posting this blog, its really impressive.
http://www.seawindsolution.com
Around here, working on farms is how kids earn money. They work hard and learn self worth. Our schools even let out for 2 weeks in the fall for harvest. Without ALL the kids help I don’t know how the farmers would be able to pull in they’re crops.
[...] day after I posted about the Dept. of Labor’s bill seeking to ban children from participating in work on farms and ranches, the department announced [...]
Just found this via a facebook post – and I’m so glad you have had the experience with your cowboy and son that you have. Thanks for putting out good info on this issue!
My husband and I were both raised in a farm setting and both our kids were raised on the ranch. None of my family would have had it any other way. My kids learned the value of work. My son isn’t working in the ag business right now but he credits his childhood for his work ethic. My daughter married last summer (to a wonderful young man who was raised on a farm) and they both share that same value of working on the farm or ranch. Those young people who get the opportunity to work on a farm/ranch, whether they live on one or not, are a thousand times better off than others. Granted there are dangers in that type of work, but if you teach the child about those dangers in the first place, they respect the equipment and animals and learn to work with safety in mind. I am proud of how my children (and son-in-law) turned out and I know that their lifestyle was a major factor in the end result. Our government is pushy to control us in every aspect of our lives. We’ve got to get that nipped in the bud.
Well Written. I love the last Paragraph especially. Pretty much says it all.
Thank you from an “always country girl” My family, Husband and son, have a Custom Harvesting business and extended family, nieces & Nephews, LOVE to come help when they can. If this were to pass they would no longer be able to do so. t
Grew up in high-end suburb north of Chicago. Now living on a sheep/horse farm in Maine. Should kids be allowed to work on a farm? How exactly do you STOP them? My son would be pretty upset if he couldn’t ride the 4-wheeler, throw hay, and help clean stalls… and he’s only 7.
I grew up on a ranch. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. The things I learned growing up have carried over into every job I’ve ever had. Your boy will learn skills that enable him to be confident and independent the rest of his life. He will love and cherish you as his mother, and will take care of you when you grow old. He will take pleasure in making you proud of him. This way of life is fast disappearing, which is what our strong central government wants. They dislike independent, critical thinking, strong men like your cowboy friend. They are scared of people that can take care of themselves. This bill is an obvious government power play. The very groups that this bill is made to “protect” strongly disagree with it. I am glad that you see things objectively, and were not hamstrung by political ideology. The rural community needs and appreciates people with your unique perspective. Fight the good fight.
I as a ranchers daughter grew up on a working farm/ ranch learnt nothing is worth not working for. Disapline is everything. Working on a farm / ranch is benefittable for everyone.