One day, she and her cousins were ‘sliding’ down the giant sand pile we used as bedding for our milk cows. Another day, she was busy ‘making mud’ with her grandma while watching us haul silage. Then, she played with calf feed and, when throwing it up in the air, got it deeply embedded in her hair. Then, she rode along while we picked up field rocks, leading to lots of dust and dirt. Soon will come more dirty days of unloading hay, having a late-night campfire, digging in the garden, or brushing out the horses.
While I dislike all the extra laundry, messes tracked through the house, and the additional time it takes doing baths every night, I know those little inconveniences are so worth it. They are a huge reason why my husband and I enjoyed our own childhoods on the farm so much and want our kids to have similar experiences.
Because what I remember as shaking out sandy clothes and convincing my toddler to head to the house, my daughter remembers as making memories with her cousins and enjoying fresh air and a cool sensory toy in the form of sand. What I remember as a too-late bedtime because we had to wash her hair twice, she’ll remember as getting the freedom to be creative and make mud pies while spending time with her grandma. And, what I remember as her fourth shirt of the day, she’ll remember as hours of fun in the sun and cooling off with the garden hose.
Summer on the farm is hot, dirty, dust-filled, and sweaty. But, if you let your kids safely (key word there) spend time outside playing with all the cool sensory things that come with the farming lifestyle (petting calves, stirring up milk replacer, making sandcastles, running through the sprinkler, picking out cool rocks and so forth), summer can also be magical, nurturing, and memory filled.
So, for all you farming parents looking ahead to wrangling kids of all ages this summer, don’t forget to let them. Let them be bored and silly. Let them imagine, create, and build. Let them try new things and make lasting memories. Let them tag along and ask questions. Just let them. We know we say the word “no” plenty as it is, so when you can, remember to let them.
The author dairy farms with her parents and brother near Hawkeye, Iowa. The family milks approximately 300 head of grade Holstein cows at Windsor Valley Dairy LLC — split half and half between a double-eight parallel milking parlor and four robotic milking units. In the spring of 2020, Molly decided to take a leap and fully embrace her love for the industry by returning full time to her family’s dairy.
