Ohmystinkinheck

Each day when the kids get home from school they have chores to do. There really isn’t a long list, but it does have to be done right after snacks (I wouldn’t dare delay after school snacks!) and before play. MOST of the time they are good-natured about it and quickly get them done, but on occasion they grumble or talk about how they “NEVER have time to play!” and “ALWAYS have chores to do!” and how “NO ONE” understands how “HARD” it is to be a kid. I turn my head while I chuckle at their emphatic statements OR I pull the frustrating mom trick–lamenting about how “When I was their age…”

Has anyone else found that their kids really do not CARE if you didn’t have siblings to split the chores with or whatever else your personal experience was? Yes? No?

How ’bout this? Has your child ever said, “Mom, back in the olden days, did you…” Oh yea, that really endears them to me, I tell ya.

Anyway, one of Meredith’s chores is to put out scratch for the chickens, check their water and gather the eggs.

Yesterday I had to giggle at her a bit as she was trying to get out of the chicken run without letting out any of the hens. There she was, scratch bucket in hand, holding an umbrella (it rained all day), and trudging along with her feet partially down in rubber boots that are too small for her.

She didn’t quite succeed.

Kenny’s hen, Kenneth Scott Sanders, had already feasted her eyes on the green just outside the gate and pushed her way past Mer’s legs and through the gate ahead of her.

And yes, Kenny named his own hen.
And no, he won’t call it KiSS - we have tried to shorten that poor hen’s name , but he’ll have NONE OF IT.

Having been handled by the kids since she was a chick, Kenneth didn’t mind Meredith gathering her up.

To toss her back in.

The whole time Meredith’s verbally disciplining her.

“Kenneth, you know you aren’t supposed to be out of the gate! I’m just gonna have to put you right back there - it’s where you belong.”

I couldn’t help but smile, thinking that it was a perfect picture of how we are, or how we should be, with our kids. Discipling through redirection; restoring them safely in their right place.

And, of course, if we’ve handled them along the way - loving on them, making them know we are their caretakers, the parents who always show them love and want what’s in their best interest, they’ll receive our direction without bawking … much like Kenneth did with Meredith.

If we fail to do this with our children - if we let them go outside the gate and stay out there, they may, in the short term, find the grass IS greener on the other side. What isn’t obvious to them, but they’ll learn quickly, is without the protection, hurt is right around the corner.

Life’s lessons, I think we’ll all admit, are hardly worth the “sweet nibblets” of green grass.

As I say this, I wonder if Billy Ray Cyrus feels the same way about his daughter Miley. Obviously she pushed her way through the gate, and even though her parents were standing right there, she wasn’t redirected. She wasn’t told to get her little 15 year old self right back through that gate, back into the land of childhood, and get some clothes on. Nope, she was let run around in the “greener grass” of adult exposure - not a safe place for a child.

Heck, it isn’t even a safe place for an adult.

Makes me sad.

24 Responses to “The chicken run of life.”

1. Kim

   I’m kinda thinking Miley’s parents pushed her out of the gate. WHEN you do expose your underage kids to the world it’s the parent’s responsibility to ensure they are protected. They aren’t naive to the business.

   My daughter once asked me if I remember when the world got color - since it was obviously black and white throughout my childhood. I scobbed her knob for that one! LOL

2. nottryingforaboy

   Excellent food for thought.

   Something is missing with Miley’s parents, and Britney’s, and Jamie Lynn’s and on and on… It is very sad.

3. Natalie

   Keeping our chicks safe, setting the example… it’s what we signed on for when we chose to become parents. And I agree, when they’ve been handled and loved along the way, they almost always know when to do what’s asked and expected.
   Poor Miley did exactly what all of the “adults” expected of her.

4. Christina in MO

   when that particular article of news came across.. my daughter (8) saw the picture of her.. looked at me and very seriously asked me.. ” is she using drugs?” I told her I didn’t think so. She replied..”then why would she take her clothes off and let anyone take her picture? What was she thinking?” my sad ill prepared resonse? I don’t think she was, eat your pancakes. (way to win parent of the year for that one!)

5. Rachel

   I did read on one site that her parents had left before that last shot was taken and that she was convinced by the photographer that it would be “artistic” … probably just excuses but you always hope that it’s all just a misunderstanding, ya know?

6. cc

   My girls have not seen the Miley photos, and they won’t. Kids are too sexy too early. While I think that the Vogue photo was beautiful, it would be more appropriate if she was a few years older. I think Vogue shouldn’t have published it, but the more controversy the more money they make. Which is sad, really, really, sad.

7. jessica @pianomomsicle

   Hehe, you guys are the Sanders and own chickens! (Sorry if you’ve already mentioned this: i haven’t been reading you for very long.)

   i feel bad for poor Miley. i think she will be entered into our bedtime prayer rotation.

8. the planet of janet

   wow, this is seriously profound.

   and billy ray missed his opportunity, to much public disgust and outcry.

   and i thought miley was going to be the GOOD one….

9. Stefani

   Looks to me like that little gal of yours has learned a thing or two from a good mama!

   You know what gets me about that whole Miley thing?? All the people who are coming down on her. I mean, I realize that she ought to have known better, but tell me what kid, in a room full of adults who are supposed to know more than she does about the business of celebrity and how it’s done, would have known how to stand up? Precious few, I imagine. I mean I would hope so, but she’s a KID for crying out loud. She’s not supposed to know how to navigate those waters! She should never have been put in that position in the first place.
   And if I were Mrs. Billy Raye you can bet hellfire and damnation would be raining down upon the heads of anyone who suggested my baby do such a thing.

10. Shannon

    Very good point! I think sometimes kids are in such a hurry to grow-up that they hop and jump right over that fence. I think it is up to us parents to be there to get them back in line or the pen!

11. Golden

    Yeah, and did you see the pics of Billy and Miley together. Now, *that* was so creepy. Laying in his lap all sexed up like that. Yuck.

12. Mr. OMSH

    I certainly hope this ‘outcry’ over these pics will help de-sexualize children. There is WAY too much temptation and visual stimulation for those nutbags out there.

    And yes Jessica@pianomomsicle, we are the Sanders and have chickens. Most people skate right by that one! Whenever people ask me my lastname I often say, “Sanders, like the Colonel.” Most people don’t even seem to catch what I am saying. The problem, however, is this: we aren’t related and aren’t rich…AND [I learned] there is no secret recipe. Sorry.

    I love that first picture of Meredith. She is nothing but all muscle…in hiding!

13. naomi

    being the youngest of my family, i got stuck with all the saturday chores after my siblings left the nest. so instead of having just a couple, i ended up with the entire list. boy complained about the limited number of chores that he is assigned until i recounted what my saturday morning was like. heh…he feels lucky now.

    as to children growing up too quickly…i totally agree. so many kinds are either allowed to, or in the case of abuse, forced to enter into the world of adults. having been one of them i was bound and determined that boy would enjoy his entire childhood. to the best of my knowledge he’s done so. he’s a really cool person.

14. Angella

    It makes me sad too. Sigh.

15. mommyknows

    I sound like an old lady, however, it seems to me that kids seem in many repects to ‘know’ way too much too early. At the same time they are not as mature as we were with far fewer responsibilities. It isn’t a good combination.

    MK

16. Tina

    I have problems with the whole news story on many levels. I’m bothered that her parents left her alone there. I’m bothered that no adult in attendance stood up for her innocence. I’m bothered that the magazine published the tactless pictures and I’m mad that the media keeps exploiting Miley and the photo on daytime news shows. The editing on the photo makes her looked drugged out and I’m disgusted by the idea of my 8 year old accidentally seeing her Hannah Montana that way!

17. bethany actually

    Kim, My younger brother once asked my mom, who was born in 1951, the same question about when the world turned color! :-) How funny.

    OMSH, you have a good eye for finding those life lessons in everyday things.

18. Dallas

    While I agree about Miley, the metaphor isn’t working for me. The chickens are always going to live in the pen - they’re not being raised to deal with the world when they’re older, like our children. Hopefully parents are protecting their children, and also teaching them that there is a world beyond the pen that they will someday go out into. Yes, I know I’m overanalyzing…

19. Mandy

    Great post. I remember when I was a kid and my Saturday chore was shoveling horse maneur from the stalls. I always balked at that one, but now as a mom I often wish my kids were shoveling horse poop rather than begging me to let them walk to the skating rink on the next block alone ( i think not) or wanting to hang out with the hoodlums down the street that cuss at passing cars. Maybe that hated saying “you won’t understand until you have kids” is more true than I ever wanted to admit. But right now, I just feel like the bad guy all the time. I would rather feel like the bd guy now and keep corraling them back in the gate than see backless, shirtless pictures of them on MySpace in 5 years. I too am so annoyed by the Miley situation. I remember not long ago taking my kids to see the Hannah Montana movie and thinking how happy I was her parents were choosing to keeo her wholesome and not allowing her to run around on stage in halfshirts and daisy dukes. Now I just bribe my kids with bubble gum at the checkout stand for hope that they won’t “discover” the dreaded pics.

20. bluejayecrafts

    My kids are 12 and 13. I try to use these incidents as opportunities to dicuss difficult subjects. So far my daughter isn’t a girly-girl and she usually wears 2-3 layers of shirts and a heavily padded bra so that ‘nothing’ shows. Then she tops it all off with a hooded sweatshirt.
    I’ll have several pre-teens here afterschool. I’m going to find out if this is even on their radar….they might not even care.

21. Chiada

    I love that first picture. It looks like she’s giving you a dirty look - which cracks me up (I’m insolent!).

    When we were kids we had a few chickens. One we named Beeper, which was really B.P.R. for Bard Plymouth Rock. The other one we called Rosa - she was a Rhode Island something. Chickens are great to have. I’d like to get some again some day.

22. KYouell

    Maybe it’s my postpartum Aunt Flo hormones, but this post made me bawl my eyes out. And that was before I got to the Miley stuff. My daughter is 1 so I have no comment on that… yet!

23. Marie

    I wasn’t too surprised when the whole VF Miley pictures came out, because I’ve been watching what she’s been wearing at the various award shows that she’s been going to. Take a look at the green dress that she wore at the CMT awards. I keep wondering how any parent could let their 15 year old dress like that in public! My 10 year old took all her Miley CDs, pictures, and music books, and put them in the attic saying that she was so mad at Miley for doing something so stupid.

    At the same time, I remember being 15 and thinking that I was hot stuff. Fortunately, my parents had me on a tight rein, so I dressed like I should, and I was still so scared of boys that I wouldn’t have let one near me no matter what. So I can just imagine what it’s like for Miley, being so rich and so young and the center of so much attention.

24. Mrs. Wilson

    Aw. It IS sad. I was quite disappointed when I found out she is ONLY 15!

    Kaylie (my almost-7-year-old) talks about “the olden days” when she was FOUR. She also asks us how old we were when we were her age.

    Kids are so entertaining.