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SW OH | When I was young my dad let me do a lot of stuff young. I can remember heating bearings, bolts, and other stuff with the torch when I was 5 or 6. I probably started to stick weld when I was about 6 also. I was working ground by myself by age 8 and running the combine myself when I was 10. I would be scared to death to let my kids do that today so dad must have seen something in me that I don't in them.
I was always into something, wanting to ride along and take apart everythng to see how it works. I replaced the head gasket on a 1086 when I was about 14 and rebuilt the engine on a 1085 at 15.
When my son was 2 weeks shy of being 2 years old he climbed in the skid steer, started it, and was driving around in circles with a big smile on his face. When I went to stop him he went in a straight line backwards trying to get away from me. By 5 he could load the manure spreader without banging the sides too much. I also had him run the baler while I rode on the back to see why it was not tying properly. When he was 7 he and his mother moved out and he lost his desire to operate and work on equipment and turned to video games. He could still take an old sloppy Cat 375 hoe and pick up a 5 gallon bucket up by the handle with no damage to the bucket at age 10.
I now am mentor to my girlfriends 2 kids (6 year old Laney and 11 year old Tyler). Laney can run the skid steer and use an impact wrench. The first time she got in it I made her drive it. She was crying up a storm at first, but after a few minutes I had to tell her to get out of it. She can even change an 11L-15 wagon tire if I work the jack and stand up the spare for her. She loves to be at the farm and work. Tyler put all new guards, hold downs, and wear plates on the grain head this fall with an impact, and put all new fingers in the auger. He is not as willing to be on the farm and learn, but I hope it will grow on him soon.
Both of these kids had never seen a farm or anything mechanical until 3 years ago. My own son wants to be a computer geek which is not what I had hoped for, but I think Laney could be better than me at everything I do in time.
The bottom line is let them do what they will and even push them to do more. The more they learn now, the more they will learn in a lifetime.
Mitchco
 (Alex playing.jpg)
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