Precious Non-Seat Time

thcri · May 18, 2003

I like to think that the tractor is mine. But when my 13 year old says no it's her's I pretty much let her. Mowing has become her job and many other tasks. The picture attached is where we just planted some new trees and she is bringing the dirt to me to put around the trunks since the spade dug out more that what the new tree took up. But as a father I can sit and watch her run the tractor and just say, "I'm Proud"

She also uses the loader to take corn out for the deer.

Just a proud father, that's all.

murph

thcri · May 18, 2003

2nd pic

What is mine is really hers. What ever I enjoy so she has to learn and enjoy.

I guess she is just Daddy's little shadow.

murph

knucklehead · May 18, 2003

Good for you, Murph. I'm told, and it makes good sense to me, that young ladies need a Dad to show them what real men are, just as much as young men do. Looks like she's gonna be just fine.

Good for you - that's your real job.

Inspector507 · May 18, 2003

Lets her know what to look for in a guy in the years to come.

Gary_in_Indiana · May 18, 2003

Enjoy these days as they are truly fleeting more quickly than you can ever know until they are gone. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

My old tree climber/mud pie maker is now in law school... and it's only been a couple years ago at most she had a page boy cut and was climbing trees in her overalls... or at least it only seems like a couple years... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

warren · May 19, 2003

Murph.

Are you serious? This is your tractor? I'll bet you think it is is
cute that your 13-year old daughter "stole" your tractor from you. A 13-year, male, or female, is not qualified to operate this type of machinery. Period! Yeah, I know it is just mowing,,,.

Warren

PhilNH5 · May 19, 2003

Warren,
I'll take Murph's side in this. I think it is an individual thing. Depends on the maturity of the child. Murph can make that call better than any of us.
My daughter started "driving" a garden tractor as soon as she could reach the brakes at 9 YO. Never with the mower on. But she hauled the cart areound. Kept me from having to mount/dismount the tractor all the time. She now runs my BX2200 as well. In fact I prefer her behind the wheel over my wife. The 13 YO has a lighter touch with the FEL. I realize the BX is no toy. But with the right instruction, training and supervision they can be competently used by a 13 YO.
Phil

Anonymous Poster · May 19, 2003

I think a lot depends on what the parent was comforable doing when they were young as well. At 10 years old I was running a JD 4020 daily, not for the fun of it, but out of necessity. Granted, my girls don't "have" to run the tractor, but they are **** good at it. Better than mom actually. I'm sure I have a couple nosey neighbors that are taken aback by a 13 year old girl running the baby JD, so I guess they would just have a coronary if they came to the range and watched her with the Super Redhawk!

wroughtn_harv · May 19, 2003

First, I think it's great that he's showing his daughter what a man is. After all, a daughter's concept of what a man is starts with the image her father projects. So many young ladies start off with the wrong image of what a man is because of this.

Second, work is without gender. It's work. The person closest and able is supposed to do it. A woman is no different when it comes to work than a small man. They both have to compensate for brawn with brain. That is an advantage btw.

Kids and equipment: I'm in a minority here. We become accomplished in life by taking risks and having successes and failures. A child on a piece of equipment is given the opportunity to do work and learn. That is not the same as a child given a piece of equipment and it's presented as a toy.

I am against children playing with, on, or even around equipment. I am for children operating equipment to do work. That is of course if there is an adult around who understands that equipment isn't a toy.

Freedom and opportunity aren't when there isn't a chance for failure or even catastrophe. We have to give children the opportunity to succeed......and fail. If we don't they won't.

thcri · May 19, 2003

warren,

Just to let you know that I am always out there with her except for when she drives the 4 wheeler. She does take that around our lot and over to the neighbors etc etc.

As far as the tractor, I am with her and with the FEL I am right by her side like in the picture. When she mows I usually sit on the deck and watch her. She for some reason has a knack to be around the equipment and she respects it. Growing up in the city myself but working on farms since I was 14 I got the opportunity to see many 6 - 8 eight year olds on tractors doing farm work. A lot of it is in how they were brought up.

But the whole thing here is a daughter's desire to be with her dad, I can't take that away from her. I love being around any of my kids. It is valuable precious time being together, you know the TV commercials, "Talk to your kids" well that's my time to talk to her. And when the work is over, there is always that "Thank you dad along with the kiss on the cheek". I'll never forget it.

I would never ever want to see her hurt, and if I didn't think she was capable of handling the tractor I wouldn't let her.

Murph