Category: Kirk Kids
-
Recognizing Kids’ Handiwork
One of the things I love about 4-H is the theory. Kids get to make their own choices and decisions and do all the problem solving while creating and learning something from start to finish. I enjoy helping my kids brainstorm ideas, suggest materials needed and assist with problem solving suggestions to ease their frustration…
-
Pledging Character Building
The words of the 4-H Member’s Pledge are important for all youth in today’s society. Raising good and caring citizens while still protecting kids from an era of new dangers has become increasingly challenging for parents. I believe in 4-H club work for the opportunity it will give me to become a useful citizen. 4-H…
-
The Thrashing Machine & Other Boy Games
No, that’s not a typo. Threshing machines and the thrashing machine are similar but the thrashing machine is man-powered. My brothers and son invented it about ten years ago when my boy was a sweaty-headed, little three year-old bouncy ball. A couple of weeks ago we had everybody down for supper and card playing and…
-
Odds & Ends Going On
My guys left the house at 4:30 a.m. this morning to go pheasant hunting today and tomorrow. Last night the family went to Belle Fourche for our son’s first middle school wrestling tourney of the season. Belle’s about a two hour drive, so it was 9:30 before we got home. Even though I’ve been looking forward…
-
Bootism Disease
Bootism Diseasolumn for Oct 11-17 My family has a genetic disease called bootism. It’s a rare disease that affects only ranch families, but knowing that there are other families like ours all over the country with too many boots is reassuring. The disease can infect a person at infancy, as it did with both of my…
-
Girl Jam
No matter where a person grows up, there are always going to be associations with the summertime of his or her youth that becomes a tradition as an adult. The events may be unintentional, but earmark the season every year. One of mine is picking raspberries, as well as for many others who grew up…
-
Surviving the Fair
I survived: the projects, being the 4-H project Nazi; critiquing and scrutinizing the quality of my kids’ projects, the big push to finish due to the time crunch, and resisting requests to let them drop a project in the end. I survived getting my kids through Achievement Days! I can’t believe how much better my…
-
Driving Lessons
Kids that live on a ranch learn how to drive a stick shift. Driving lessons for ranch kids happen real early. It’s just a tradition, I guess. Our son was about five when he first learned on an old Dodge pickup. Once they learn, they help drive equipment back and forth or a pickup and…
-
Play Dirt
Dirt and boys they just go together. When our son was a toddler, his idea of hitting pay dirt was getting to play with it. His fascination for fine dry soil started a dirt-kicking phase. It all began when he followed me under the slat-covered porch one day to clean out all the debris that…
-
Kid Therapy
I’ve been sending my kids to therapy regularly for a long time now. I’ve insisted on it since they were babies. After spending too many consecutive days indoors, my kids will relapse in behavior; a sign that they need some therapy. Like a woman waiting too long before re-dying her hair, their behavior becomes very…