Lead-By-Example

Let's do a throwback today. Let's throw it back to when you were just a kid. What was one of the most popular questions you were asked? “What do you want to be when you grow up” is the question that immediately comes to my mind. Why is that? Why is it that we put the pressure of the future on such a small child? I have to believe it's because we have all these hopes and dreams for our children and if you don't push them to be dreamers, then will they have ambitions?

This thought process was provoked last week when I was shooting a testimonial video at a local farm. Unlike most of the testimonials I shoot, I knew this family. I grew up in the same community as them and even graduated high school with the husband, Nick, and the wife, Tyler. Nick has literally been working on the family farm for as long as I can remember. His dad, Neil, inherited the family farm and he's continuing the tradition by involving Nick.

Nick and Tyler have two precious little boys and a sweet baby girl on the way. When we were filming, the boys kept grabbing my attention and not because of why you would think. I was so amazed at how content they were to just be out on the farm with their parents and grandparents. Tyler told me about how the boys will just ride in the tractor for hours with their Dad or Grandfather. I watched them sit and play with their John Deere tractors in the dirt without complaint for a while- not even bothered by the clicks of my camera. I got tickled at the youngest (almost 3), Cooper, who was literally just begging to get in the tractor at one point. Daniel (6), even told his Dad last week that he would cut, tedder, and rake if his Dad would just keep doing the baling… yall he's 6 and already wanting to run his own John Deere tractor. Which led me to my next thought… why?

Daniel and Cooper are being led by example. They see their family work hard 7 days a week- not 5. This is the type of example I wish all kids had the opportunity to see. Daniel and Cooper are the future. Whether they decide to farm or not, the life lessons they are learning now are shaping them into the men they will become in the future. What kind of example are you setting for futures generations?

I want to challenge you to be an example. Be like Nick and Tyler and instill those hard-working values in your kids today. It's easier to learn these traits at a young age. Of course, we're biased, but farm-raised kids are some of the best!