Brain’s Kids Remind Him Why It’s Great Growing Up On The Farm

It's amazing how time and parenthood will change your perspective.  I grew up on a small family farm.  When I was a kid, it was heaven.  Open spaces and endless terain to explore.  But as I got older, the farm lost a bit of it's luster.  I wanted the hustle, and faster pace of living in the city.  But now that I have kids of my own, and see how they LOVE coming out to visit my parent's farm, I realize why I loved it in the first place.

My kids have grown up knowing nothing but living in the city.  Yes, they have a backyard.  But it's not the backyard I had.  I grew up with over 300 acres to run and play on.  They have a fenced in yard that shrinks with each year they grow older.  So it's no surprise when we visit the farm, they can't get enough.  They want to see the cows, ride the golf cart, play with the cats, look at the crops.  It doesn't matter if it's 100 degrees or 5 below.  They just can't get over this wide open playground!

Seeing the farm through their eyes reminds me of why I loved growing up there, and also how much I miss it.  Sure, living in town has it's advantages.  But the older I get, the more I want to get back to my "wide open spaces".