Living on a farm has always made me different. Even in rural South Carolina, I have been one of only a few children in my class who knew the details of castration and animal birth. Kinda disgusting, I know. But these mundane tasks of farm life have never been disgusting to me. They are normal. Just like the lessons I’ve learned from growing up on a farm seem normal, even though the world finds them odd.

Lesson #1: Communication is important.

Every afternoon my siblings and I had to feed our 100+ animals. The funny thing about our farm is that we don’t have 100 cattle who all eat the same food. We have 100+ animals with different diets and feed. So when we have to feed the chickens, geese, ducks, goats, dogs, cats, and turtles we each have to be aware of the different portions and kinds of feed they need. For example, sometimes certain goats get a cup and a half of feed instead of one because they have babies who are beginning to eat. It was only through incredible communication (and sometimes miscommunication) that this could get done correctly.

Lesson #2: When mistakes are made, everyone is at fault.

Often when we divided up jobs, one of us wouldn’t complete it to mom’s standard. So when these mistakes were made, such as a water bucket not being filled up, all of us had to go back outside and recheck all the waters. Believe me, this is not an easy lesson. There were several days when I was ready to strangle someone because they forgot to fill the same water again or lock the same gate they always forgot. But part of being responsible is making sure that others are doing the same.

Lesson #3: Sacrifices must be made.

I can’t begin to count the number of times I said I couldn’t hang out or was the first to leave the party in high school because I had to go home and help with the animals. In the moment, I often felt anger towards my family for taking on the huge responsibility of a farm and requiring me to make sacrifices. Looking back I realize that my sacrifices weren’t that substantial. It was my mom who willingly woke up early every morning and fed the few animals who ate twice a day. It was my dad who worked hard every week so that we could pay the large feed bill. This is probably the most valuable lesson because it taught me to not be self-centered and realize the sacrifices that others make, too.

Lesson #4: Hard work is rewarding.

I will never forget the first time our goats had babies. It was an unusually cold day in the fall. We had just gotten back from a dentist appointment and it was time to feed up. I was warm in the car and wasn’t excited about having to brave the cold. My little sister and I went to the barn to get feed when we heard yelling from the back pasture. We both went running and saw our first babies nestled next to a log. We were jumping up and down and hugging each other, attempting to do it quietly so we wouldn’t disturb the new babies. The smiles never left our faces and none of us cared about the work we still had to do as long as we could come back and watch the babies afterward.

While growing up on a farm didn't give me a conventional childhood or upbringing, I will always be grateful for the unique experiences that helped shape me into the person I am today. The farm will always be a part of who I am.