By Marisa Linton, RHD Social Squad
Dear Show Mom,
Being a mom is a hard job, but being a show mom is a whole other matter. It in and of itself can be a full-time job. It is a very stressful job that involves a lot of hard work and limited vacation days. The pay is not that great, and yet you absolutely love the job… well, most days.
All the behind the scenes work that occurs day in and day out does not go unnoticed. We see what you do.
We see the manure on your boots and the straw in your hair as you help us care for the stock. We see how you guide us to do everything the right way. Whether that is how to look out for a sick animal or recognize what true clean water looks like in a trough.
We see you cook us dinner, but never feeding us until the livestock have had their dinner. We see you stroke check after check for feed bills, and we see that sometimes it can be tight to do that. We see you budget and balance, but never complain.
We see you making all the show deadlines so we can show, and keeping us on schedule when it is time to leave. We see you stay up late at night to iron our shirts for the ring and make sure that everything is ready to go. And, after the show, when we are tired and beat, we see you start laundry once more.
We see you at the edge of the ring, biting your nails, as you watch on as a nervous wreck. We see you cheer for us when we win, and hug us when we lose. We see you give us those eyes when we are out of line and need to do better. We see you take a thousand photos, and while we may hate it at the time, we will be so grateful in years to come.
We see you show mom. Don’t think all that you do goes unseen. What you do every day is amazing. We know it is hard, but we are so grateful to you. The hugs, and guidance and straw in your hair all touch a place in our hearts.
We couldn’t do this without you. Literally…we need you to drive us and pay those feed bills. Seriously, though, because of you, we are clothed without wrinkles, not starving, and know how to tell if a water trough is truly clean. We know how to be a good sportsman, and we know that showing livestock is hard work.
You do it all with a smile, and no promise of a purple banner for your work. We see you show mom and all that you do. We thank you and love you.
Love,
Your Stock Show Kid