My youngest son is five years old and is finishing his preschool years and preparing to enter Kindergarten next fall. A couple of weeks ago, he enjoyed an open house and Kindergarten roundup, where he met his teachers and toured his classroom for the upcoming school year. During the roundup, the elementary principal met with the incoming Kindergarten parents. As a few mothers shed tears thinking about their children entering Kindergarten for the first time, the principal noted that many parents cry when their first children enter Kindergarten. However, when their last child is entering Kindergarten, like in our case, the parents are often smiling.

FARM KIDS GROW UP FAST: Celebrate each stage of their lives.

I think as time passes, we as parents recognize that each milestone in our children’s lives is something to be celebrated. As our children grow, especially in families with a few children, we parents are happy to see our children gain some responsibility and self-sufficiency.

These are traits that children on the farm usually learn early on. Unfortunately for our society, they are traits that some adults haven’t yet mastered.

Sure, I am nostalgic and sentimental about my children growing up. I recall vividly the day 11 years ago when I sent my oldest daughter off to Kindergarten. It was kind of scary, watching her grow up so fast. And now that my youngest son is in that same spot in his life, it seems time is passing even more quickly.

The thing I’ve learned over those years of raising our children is that you can’t stop time. We’d love to freeze our children for a bit at one stage or another because we enjoy them so much at that stage. But, we find that the next stages of their lives are even more rewarding for them and for us as parents.

Time keeps moving and as families celebrate all kinds of graduations this time of year from Preschool, Kindergarten, 8^th grade, high school and college, it is a time of reflection. But it shouldn’t be sad. It should be a time of celebration of moving to that next stage and all the promise this can bring to the family.

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Farm families are busy these days, not only with farm operations, but with all kinds of activities that farm kids probably didn’t take part in so much when I was young. However, I think on the farm we do take the time more often than not to thank our Creator for the gifts he has given us and to take stock in the things that are most important in the lives of our family members.

A walk down the driveway, an evening around the firepit or playing catch in the farm yard are things that are not necessarily monumental, compared to a trip to Disney World. But they are things that we genuinely treasure with our children as we grow older and as they grow up. The little things around the farm and ranch and the memories we make together do not have to be earth-shattering. They just have to be done together, because that is what makes the memories.

So, no matter what graduations you might be attending for your children or grandchildren this spring, I hope you can enjoy the celebration of their accomplishments and look forward with optimism about the next stage in life for our young generations in agriculture.

Be sure to catch up on local farm news at Nebraska Farme online or at our Facebook page.

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