If you’re going to make it past 1st base in his life he got a show some grit.
My 1st impression at being a mom with all about kisses and the babies. I have always loved babies. They’re so cute and yummy and sweet. I just wanted to have my own to hold and love, kiss, and snuggle. When I had my 1st baby was born, I did just that. It is all I wanted in life. I gave him everything money couldn’t buy. We lived in a little farmhouse and not very much money. It didn’t’ matter, he was my joy, my life, everything to me.
In the next 15 years, 5 more children came along. We still had a little house and not very much money. But we had grit. It was me and the kids against the world. I wanted more than anything for them to be able to be self-sufficient to be able to take care of themselves, to live better than we did.
My former husband was a dairy farmer. Therefore, we had all the milk, hamburger, we could ever desire. We grew a large garden. Sometimes you just craved chicken and ketchup because those are the 2 things we didn’t grow. I believe with all my heart my children are the smartest most athletic, and talented kids in the world.
I remember asking my twelve-year-old son what do you want? How badly you want it.? Do you really want to be a cowboy? Do you want to be a football player? What do you want with all your heart and I will be your greatest cheerleader and helper? He had just been kicked by a horse and ruptured his spleen, he had almost died. He needed to make a decision so I would know how to help him. We had limited funds and energy and needed to focus. “ I want to be a cowboy. I want to be a rodeo star,” and we started working against all odds.
His grandparents had milk cows and we weren’t allowed to rope them. Luck would have it and we were able to get a large white goat at a very reasonable price. goat and it could run. He trained his horse to calf tie-down with his goat. He taught his hose to team rope with this goat. He bought a mechanical steer to practice with. His 1st rodeo his horse had never seen a real calf. But he was ready and he was prepared. After his 2nd year in High School rodeo, he was the all-around cowboy. We had an old broken truck and ugly horse trailer, he trained his own horse, which is generally unheard of. I heard one of the professional cowboys in the stand say, “look at the Elkington kid, he trains his own horses. “That year his horse got nominated, “horse of the year,” in the state. He was offered a full-ride rodeo scholarship and headed off to college.
My daughter was right on the heels of my oldest son. She graduated from High school she was 15 years old. She started college before she could drive at night. She ended up a full rights scholarship when she was 18 years old to BYU Idaho. She was a viola major but had majored in piano before she went to BYU Idaho. This girl is driven and shows true grit. She was a junior at 18 years old and tried out for a concerto competition playing the piano as a viola major. She won I was able to play at the concert.
The next three boys have their own stories of grit. But it will need to be for next time.
As I watch these two oldest children raise their own families, I see the tradition of grit passing on. They both own family business and their children work alongside them. The tradition continues.