Darby Acres Farm

On Thursday, a group of Charlotte homeschooling families took a field trip to Darby Acres Farm. The price was very reasonable for all-day fun . . . if a parent could last all day chasing kids around in the heat! Admission is $3 per person walking age and above, plus $5 per basic pony ride (with fancier trotting rides available!). I highly recommend this venue to my local friends!

Just some of the tractors available on display 

An employee gave us a tour of the many animals for about an hour and a half.

Snow White the chicken

 The children got to groom a miniature horse.

It was explained to us that this breed of cow, whose name I forget, is one of the most or the most docile kind. Staring down those horns, I was doubtful but glad to hear it.

Climbing after Big Sister

Sitting down and hoping a bunny will come to her 

This is how a person gets bunnies to hop to her!

Hedgehogs are ridiculously cute. The farm had other pet rodents, such as chinchilla, guinea pigs, and hamster.

We found our way to the bathroom to thoroughly scrub hands before eating lunch. It was located in a nondescript red barn: half the building contained restored old-fashioned cars on display and the other half housed what looked like a really happenin' restaurant (closed during the day)! The children were thrilled with this mechanical horse that did not even require quarters to ride.

I had to make the kids ditch out of the tour a little early because pregnant Mama needs to eat very regularly. I'd already eaten our granola bars wrapped in nice, clean foil, and I wasn't going to eat hand-held food with my grubby animal hands. I pushed myself a few minutes too long and the sweet children were asking questions like, "Can't we just look at this one thing here?" "NO! WE CAN'T! MAMA NEEDS TO EAT. MAMA IS GOING TO BE SICK. GET TO THE CAR RIGHT NOW!"

Anyway, we got some food in me just in time in the nice shaded picnic area. And I was reminded that I need to pack more food than I think I'm going to need.

Afterward we rejoined the group for horse rides.

We finished up our three hours playing in the wonderful sandbox and on the playground, and jumping on the full-sized trampoline. The children could have lasted longer and done more things, but this Mama was done in.

I've been reflecting on things today. Mamas have up-moments and down-moments and, getting ready for this field trip this morning, I knew in advance that my children would be ungrateful about it. I swear, the more gifts they receive, the more fun things are arranged for them, the more ungrateful they are and the more cause for complaint that they find. (I know some more experienced mommy friends of mine will read that and think, "Ah, you're just now figuring that out?") So, this morning, I realized going in to it that they would find reason to complain and reason to be ungrateful and I felt pretty sour about it in anticipation.

At first I thought it was just my children. Then I thought, no, it's children. Then I thought, no, it's human beings who are ungrateful wretches. We are and that's the ugly truth. What else could be the result of Original Sin?

And really, why should I care that they are grateful to me, perhaps even that they might fawn all over me for being such a Fun Mommy? Because of my motivation for taking the kids on such a field trip. Clearly, if I were doing it purely for their enjoyment or the good development of their souls, I wouldn't mind that they were ungrateful pills, but I do mind and I take personal offense (which is wrong and bad). That is very revealing about me. My children's godmother once gave me an extremely good tip for examining my own motivations: If the children's bad behavior makes me sad, I am thinking about their own good as souls, but if their bad behavior makes me angry, I am thinking selfishly about myself.

So, in anticipation of the children being bratty at the end of our field trip, I remind myself how thankful I am that--since my children would express ingratitude wherever they are, whatever they are doing--I get to stay home with them, raising them full time, so that I can be here for all these opportune teaching moments. I can make the effort time and time again, dozens of times per day, to teach them gratitude. Of course, on a day when I'm feeling low already, I am giving myself that pep talk and saying these words with a bunch of dry sand in my mouth.

Honestly, I liked the accolades I received being in the working world. I have such a fat file folder of glowing letters of recommendation and commendation from my ten years in the corporate world. It felt really good to get dressed well in the morning, basically be in control of my schedule, do a job competently, receive accolades frequently, and be paid for doing it. In contrast, being a full-time homemaker and mother involves having almost no control over my schedule (despite trying to have a good routine), giving over my body to grow and nourish babies (which results in a look that ain't so pretty), being extremely sleep-deprived, being given no paycheck with my name on it, and receiving instead of letters of commendation: complaints, tears, screams of insult, and a lack of gratitude.

Indeed, as predicted, the best-behaved child thanked me for this field trip only because I instructed the child to do so. (When, when, oh when? will they learn to say 'thank you' spontaneously after being given something? Even though I require a thank you endless times per day every day for as many years as they've been speaking?) The worst-behaved child refused to thank me (after obviously having a great time for hours), scowled, and had to be threatened with a punishment before grudgingly dripping out a sarcastic thank you, followed by whispered words against me from the depths of the van to which I chose to close my ears because I was too tired to deal with it.

And I'm so glad I got to be there for that moment to help form those children's souls in their varying degrees of selfishness. Excuse me while I go spit out some of the dry sand in my mouth.