I feel very fortunate to have grown up on my family’s cattle ranch and my children are now enjoying that privilege.   There are so many things that a child can learn from our ranching lifestyle, all of which will benefit them greatly into adulthood.   Here are some of the things that ranch kids get to experience at an early age.

1  Ranch kids learn to love the outdoors, in all types of weather! They also want to wear warm clothes with very few arguments when going out the door in the winter.

2. They get to watch the miracle of life, starting from an early age.   Calving season never gets old on a ranch, and learning to wake up in the middle of the night to check cows teaches responsibilty and compassion.

3. Their siblings become their best friends while they work and play together. Even if that involves pretending to vaccinate the “cow” in their parents living room using a coffee table as a cattle squeeze, each other as the “cow” and a plastic straw as a syringe.

4. Television is a novelty, as they are seldom in the house long enough to watch an entire show.  Except for Sunday nights, as Heartland is never missed in our household!

5.They get to help make business decisions and learn problem solving skills alongside their parents, starting from the time they can walk.  4-H projects become their own “business” at the age of 9, or sometimes even earlier.