I was on vacation with my family last week and we had two long days of driving to and from our destination. There were two conversations that I had with my kids that were good reminders for life in general and life on the farm.

Hi and Lo

I like to talk to my kids about the hi and lo of their day. One day there was a conflict between the kids about what gift to buy their mom for her birthday (I am not making this up! I am truly blessed with kind hearted children). At the end of day when we said our hi’s and lo’s, one of my kids said the worst part of the day was fighting about the gift and the best part of the day was solving the problem. I love that they were able to turn the worst part of the day into the best part of the day. I am a recovering conflict-avoider. What turned the corner for me was when I realized that avoiding conflict never resolves it and it keeps nagging and causing issues. The idea of moving past the issue and not having to constantly deal with it is very motivating.

There are many points of conflict on the farm but I encourage you not to stop with the conflict but work through it so that solving it becomes the best part of your day!

Is there a test?

My eleven year old son and I were discussing possible job options for when he gets a little older. I suggested that he could work on a dairy farm and milk cows. He said he didn’t know anything about that and how he would get trained. He also asked if there would be a test at the end of the training to make sure he passed and could milk the cows. I absolutely love that! It was a very challenging statement to me on how we evaluate that new staff are ready to do the job on their own. A written test is probably not the answer but proving competency to work independently is a necessity. Be careful on who is training new employees—bad habits travel fast.

Great insight came out of the mouths of my babes last week. I am grateful I took the time to listen. Have a great week!