 | Children, Parents, Relationship BuilderStories from the FarmPosted Friday, February 22nd, 2008 and visited 370 times, 1 so far today by AG |
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My dad has always been great about spending quality time with my brother and me. Very often at bedtime, my dad would lay down in the middle of one of the kids’ beds and we’d each lay on either side of him, staring at the ceiling. My dad would reminisce about growing up on a small farm in Abilene, Kansas. He had so many stories to share with us, and they were always fascinating since my brother and I were raised in the city. I think my dad is the best storyteller there ever was.
Here’s one of his classics, as I remember it:
The Space-Test Rooster
Your grandmother would go to town to the Farmer’s Market on Sunday afternoons. One day when she came back, she had brought back some chicken eggs. That wasn’t so unusual. What was unusual was that the eggs were banty eggs.
Every animal on a farm has its purpose. It may be to lay eggs, produce milk, or work in the field. A banty chicken is much smaller than a normal chicken and is usually raised for show, not to lay eggs. So why your grandmother bought these little eggs, we’ll never know.
One by one, the eggs hatched and every one was a hen, except for one rooster. Since banty roosters are so much smaller than normal roosters, they have to be much more mean and aggressive to keep from getting picked on by the big roosters. This rooster was no exception. He thought he was the biggest, baddest guy in the whole yard.
I was about six years old and my brother was about four. Your grandfather would send us out to the barns and haylofts to get different supplies and help around the farm. Since we were so young and the doors were heavy, we’d only push them open far enough for us to squeeze in and out.
Whenever my brother or I were in the barns alone, the little rooster would stand in the crack in the doorway and block our escape route. Now, even though he was smaller than an ordinary rooster, he was vicious. He had a bad attitude and his beak and claws were dangerous. And to a six year old kid, he looked huge. We’d have to simply run for it and try to get past the rooster without getting too beat up.
My brother and I would tell your grandfather whenever the rooster attacked us, but since the rooster only attacked one of us at a time, grandfather didn’t believe it was as bad as we’d said. Well, one day, the banty made the mistake of cornering both of us together. After we got away from him, we both went to your grandfather and told him what happened.
“Okay,” he said, “let’s take him for a space-test.”
Your grandfather went to the barn and grabbed a five gallon bucket, went out to the yard, grabbed that little rooster, plopped him down into the bucket, and spun the bucket around and around and around and around. Then he dumped the dizzy rooster onto the ground.
He took two steps and fell over. You could watch his eyes and tell that the world was spinning like a top. He just laid there for a while, then, when the world stopped moving, he jumped up and took off running! He made a beeline away from the farmyard and disappeared over the hill. We never saw that poor rooster again.
Although it’s not so much the story that matters as the time spent with us, my dad was able to bring us for moments at a time into the world in which he grew up. I swear, sometimes my dad was magical. He gave us parts of himself that, no matter what happens, are ours to cherish. He sure knew how to make a kid feel special.
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February 22nd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
What a great blog this is! I’ve really enjoyed reading it. :-)
I’m always telling my husband how important daddies are to their girls (we have two.) My Dad isn’t perfect, but he was and still is my very first hero. He’s also the funniest and most fun person I know.
Christine’s last blog post..Cold Duckie You’re the One
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:25 pm
What a good story! There is something about being able to sit in a circle and relive the hilarious stories of youth together. We did that this year at Christmas with dh’s father and siblings, boy they have some hair-raisers! My hubby’s dad also has some chicken/rooster stories, one that we all have him tell at least once every couple of years.The good old days…back when kids had to search for things to entertain themselves…wink, wink!Your relationship with your dad was very blessed, AG!
Mary’s last blog post..On Motherhood: Being Everything
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Christine, thanks for the great comments! I just got done reading “Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters” and I was amazed at just how much influence a father has on his daughter. Not that I intended not to get involved in her life, I just always figured they got more from their mother!
I always enjoyed hearing stories from both of my Grandfathers. We were always amazed by my fraternal father’s feats of daring do in WWII, and of my other Grandfather’s simple life.
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:02 pm Subscribed to Comments
It’s always amazed me how much dads do for little girls. Besides showing them how a godly man should treat them and letting them watch godly man/woman interaction between their parents, men are often a representation of God to their daughters. I know many girls whose fathers abused them and they want nothing to do with a Heavenly Father. They can also give to their daughters security, self-esteem, and confidence.
AG’s last blog post..God is so good!
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:47 pm
So true AG. :-)
Christine’s last blog post..Cold Duckie You’re the One
February 25th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Don’t forget us little boys. I ended up in the same profession as my dad and we’ve worked in the same office for a few years. They can make a lot of difference in the type of man their boys become. Best to encourage them by a good example, and by the mom building him up!
February 25th, 2008 at 3:03 pm Subscribed to Comments
True, Min. Have you ever noticed that lots of homosexual men didn’t have a father figure while growing up?
AG’s last blog post..The Mercy Seat
February 25th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I had noticed that there were a lot of women raising men that identified themselves as homosexual. I don’t know if it’s a contributing factor or not. I think sexual abuse has more to do with it than who raised you.
February 25th, 2008 at 5:52 pm Subscribed to Comments
I definately think sexual abuse plays a big part, too, but if you never had a male role model to show you how to be manly, how can you expect to become manly? And society tells us that men who aren’t masculine must be gay, so the more easily-influenced men start to wonder if they are gay. And once you open yourself up to considering a sin, suddenly Satan shows up and makes the most of that opportunity.
I believe every person could be attracted to the same sex if they wanted to be. Just because we’re sinful people and our minds are depraved without God. If we tell God to beat it, we allow ourselves the opportunity to become depraved even more.
AG’s last blog post..The Mercy Seat
February 27th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
This is the classic nature/nurture debate. I personally believe that a bit of both goes into forming who we are. However, in this case like other sins, it is a question of what you will decide to do with your urges: answer them or work to overcome them.
February 27th, 2008 at 3:31 pm Subscribed to Comments
In my eyes, here’s how the nature/nurture debate goes:
Nature is sinful.
Nurture can be either godly or sinful.
Redeemed nature is godly.
So knowing God makes a big difference in our behavior.
AG’s last blog post..The Truth About Porn