Stock Show Family: 7 Reasons to be Thankful

Your stock show family may live close by or a few states away. Maybe you see them at every local county fair or only a few times a year at Junior Nationals and a major.   Over the time you’ve spent showing you’ve bonded.  You count on them.  You look forward to being with them.  They’re part of your life, your circle.  They’re your stock show family. Here are 7 reasons to be thankful for your stock show family. 

1. They See You at Your Best

You just won Supreme Champion.  Your kid just won showmanship.  Your junior livestock judging team just beat a bunch of senior teams.  You’re beaming with pride, excited, and fist-bumping, grinning with your banner.  Your stock show family is there, too.  They’re grinning, too, standing proudly behind your champion animal in your champion backdrop photo.  They aren’t jealous (not much, anyway) because they’ve had their turn with the banner and’ll be there again. Your livestock show family is proud of and excited for you. 

Girl-Child once won a tough Grand Champion drive. Excited, I smacked the person beside me on the rear end… and it wasn’t MyFarmer. Those years of high school sports have really stayed with me. But it was ok, she’s stock show family. We just laughed, high-fived, and went to congratulate the Champion.

2. They Still Love You at Your Worst

We all love showing livestock, but admittedly, some days are stressful, tiring, or just plain irritating.  The early mornings and late nights when you stay at the barn until midnight loading the trailer just to get up before 5:00 a.m. to go to the show. The heifer that walks through the entry gate and acts like a fool who’s never been in the ring before.  The kid at the wash rack wielding his water hose like he’s working the water ride at Dollywood.  You’re soaked, tired, frustrated, and your attitude is starting to reflect it.  

Your stock show family is there through it all.  They may try to calm you down, offer a change of clothes, or crack a joke. They may just steer clear.  But they love you through it all.  They know this too shall pass, and you’ll be pleasant again soon.  They know they’ll eventually be cranky, wet, and tired – and you will be there for them.

A few years ago at State Fair, BoyChild had an uncharacteristically rough go in showmanship. When he came out of the ring, he was frustrated with his heifer and mad at himself. MyFarmer, BoyChild, and I walked back to the stall, but nobody said a word. We knew it wasn’t the time to talk about it. After caring for the heifer, BoyChild returned to the ring to watch his buddies, who had made it into the final showmanship drive. It wasn’t long before I noticed a herd of stock show family kids surrounding him, cheering him up. They also probably teased him a bit, but they knew what he needed at that moment, and they were there for him.

3. There Are Eyes Everywhere

This one is for the stock show parents.  There are eyes on your kids everywhere.  There’s something about a fair that turns kids into fun-craving little monkeys, climbing gates and panels, running and wrestling in shavings. Stock show kids have fun. Sometimes, though, that wrestling can get too rough.  The climbing can get too high.  That fun can tend to go too far.  Sometimes, when that happens, the parents aren’t right there.  That’s where your stock show family comes in.  Other moms and dads are there to reel in the wayward children, calm things down, redirect, or straight up threaten kids into behaving.

After one of the final jackpots of the summer show season, a bunch of kids were climbing on an announcer’s stand like a jungle gym. Suddenly, a fellow stock show mom, appeared amid the chaos and declared, “If I know your momma, you better get down! Now!”  Those kids scattered like roaches when the lights come on.  Well, the ones in our show family, anyway.  They knew she meant business.  They didn’t question whether to obey her or not.  That was just as good as their own mom telling them to do something.  When you are part of a stock show family, you have your mom and your “other moms.”  Sorry, kids, there are eyes everywhere! 

Just a stock show mom digging poop out of the ear of a child who is not her son.

4. You Can Count On Each Other

Sports teammates share everything: water bottles, rides to the game, equipment.  Sharing for them makes perfect sense.  They’re part of a team. At a stock show, the people around you are your competition, including your stock show family, who can often be your biggest competition.  Still, just like a family, we help each other. Stock show families help fit each other’s cattle, hold each other’s sheep, keep up with each other’s kids, and hitch rides for animals or tack on each other’s trailers. You never have to worry about having animals in the same class or multiples in the grand drive.  Your stock show family will show that animal just like they would their own.

It was GirlChild’s first State Fair.  We had two class winners going into the ring for division champion and needed another showman.  A kid in our stock show family stripped down to his boxers in the sheep barn, threw on some show clothes, and bolted across the parking lot to the cattle show ring while his mom tucked his shirt on the run.  Seconds later, the kid walked into the ring with poise and confidence, showing that heifer with all he had.  He was a little winded.

5. You Laugh — A Lot.

As in, laugh until you cry. Those inside jokes among your stock show family lead to moments when you are all giggling, and no one else knows why.  Those times when something just pops out of your mouth, and some people can’t believe what you said, but those who know you best bust out laughing.  The people that a simple shared look from across the ring can elicit a grin. You genuinely enjoy being together.

Sometimes, your stock show family makes you laugh when you want to cry.  We were halfway across the country in Ozark, Arkansas, with 3 trucks and trailers filled with tack and Simmental cattle. Three families spent 3 hours on the side of the road due to a truck breakdown. We unloaded trailers to get to toolboxes, met some lovely people who stopped to help and made multiple trips to the nearby truck stop. It could have been a horrible experience, but we had snacks and each other to laugh with. The resulting after-midnight arrival to Junior Nationals and getting drenched in the What-a-Burger drive-thru at 3 a.m. is a story for another post.

Always laughing.

6. Friendships

The kids you grow up with showing livestock are often the adults you count on.  Stock show kids are having the time of their lives.  They are fearless and inventive.  They play and interact in ways different from their relationships with other friends.

BoyChild was in the ring with his favorite heifer.  His friend was standing behind me, whispering to himself, willing the judge to put BoyChild at the top of the class. These are the kind of people I hope our kids surround themselves with as they get older.  People who will support them, cheer for them, and genuinely want what’s best. 

7. They support you outside of the show ring

A stock show family is there for each other in everything they do, even outside the show ring.

GirlChild recently had a big night for her volleyball team. Players invited family and friends to the game to show their support. Our stock show family showed up and showed out. They were the biggest, loudest, most fun group of supporters there. I’ll admit, I got a little teary when she was announced, and our stock show family went wild, proudly cheering for her. They’re there for most anything we need. They’ve helped me clean my house and landscape my yard for a family reunion they weren’t invited to. They’ve supported our causes, cared for our kids, grieved our losses, and celebrated our success. They are family. We are thankful for each other and appreciate these years together.

Stock Show Family supporting us at the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia

Why are you thankful for your stock show family?

A version of this post was originally on Arable Media.