I have always been very proud of where and how I grew up. I might be biased thinking that everybody needs to take a few months and live in the country...either on a ranch, farm, or out in the middle of nowhere where you cant just run into town for whatever you want. However, like I was saying, I think it might have been more of an education for me than for Sam.
We told him that there was not going to be any cell phone service and the internet, if we actually had it, was going to be pretty slow. Also there was no staying up all night playing video games or watching TV since everyone got up at a decent time to work. Well we let took pity on the kid and actually let him sleep in until 8 or 8:30 every day and even let him play video games during the breaks. I know, I know, how cruel can we be?
Oh and we took him to a skatepark so he would trust us and think we are cool before we really let him have it. As the week went on I learned just how naive he was. I kept asking myself if it was because he was from the city or just didnt listen because like most kids these days, they have ipods on and instead of looking at the world they are texting. Here are a few things I learned over the week...
1. Hauling wood causes pimples.
2. Work causes pimples.
3. Rent is only $150-200 a month where he comes from.
4. Making $15,000 a year will put him on the same level of some rich people.
5. Only football players have to meet a certain grade point average in order to play.
6. In college only athletes get scholarships.
7. Speaking of college...athletes get by w/ doing nothing and having bad grades.
8. You can still play sports in HS even if you go to Juvie.
9. Taking 2 showers a day (one at night before bed and another in the morning when you wake up) is NOT a waste of water.
10. Wearing a cap messes up guy's hair.
11. Wearing a cap does not protect you from the sun.
12. Having a bull calf testicles thrown on your leg will induce girly screaming.
13. Using Shampoo for "curly" hair will actually make your hair curly.
14. Dallas is in fact located in the center of Texas.
15. Arizona borders Texas.
16. It only take a couple of hours to drive 500 miles.
17. Lubbock...well its somewhere in Texas.
18. Instead of taking care of our cattle...why dont we just go to Costco.
19. Corn is not apart of almost every food.
20. Water is limitless.
21. Why dont we get our water from the tanks like they have in the city? Its limitless...its automatically fills up when low.
Here are few things Sam had to do this week of hell: Took down fence. Added more t-posts to another fence. Put up cedar posts to the panel fence. Picked up wood around the field. Fed and moved cattle. Branded and castrated 30 plus calves. Poor kid...he had to get up around 8:30 and work until 6 or 7pm. Not to worry though, we did feed him three meals and gave him about 2-3 hour lunch break. He commented one time that it was ironic that we had all this work to do on the week he visited. He just didnt understand that it was like that on a ranch EVERY DAY! It blew his mind that the last time my parents took what people define as a vacation was back in 2003 when we went to Cancun for...wait for it...FOUR days (two of which were traveling to and from).
I had thought that maybe, just maybe he actually appreciated this other life style. But once we got back to Texas and he went home to the city, I read his facebook and found that "New Mexico f!@#$%^&* sucked, especially on a ranch." "Working since 10am is so tiring (that must have been the day it rained)." And that "We (my family) were redneck-ish, dumb, and narrow minded." Now can I really get upset that a 14 year old kid said those things? Yes I can, but I shouldn't because he was yelled at by everyone for everything. There are so many "things" that need special attention on a ranch or farm and safety is always an issue so I'm sure Sam got his full of us harping on him and needed to vent.
Now for the big shocker...even bigger than finding out that carrying wood causes pimples...he actually wants to come back. Or at least thats what hes telling his parents. I will let you know if my dumb redneck family allows this city kid back to the ranch. Maybe next year he'll understand more and staying out on a ranch in the middle of nowhere will actually be cool.
He has no idea that we are about to go "old school" on castrating...
Now he does...
Not sure if you can see it but my cousin threw a Rocky Mountain Oyster on Sams leg...this is where you hear a 14 yr old boy screaming like a 4 yr old girl.
Good story Jess.
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