For Jonah's birthday last Tuesday, we went to Hawes Farms in Anderson to wander through the corn maze. What a surprise when we found so much more than just a cornfield! Looking at the kids running around, we decided that it was a place where, to borrow a popular phrase, a kid can be a kid. They were everywhere, running around in the dark through the maze with flashlights, jumping on a huge bounce pillow, sliding down an enormous inflated slide, and playing on bales of hay. What I really appreciated was that this was still a farm, complete with a few mud puddles. It hasn't been invaded by any electronics or amusement park lights. Here's a rant... I was irritated the last time I took my kids skating. The skate rink, I guess, was not enough for kids, and now they've added a full arcade and tickets to redeem for prizes. The bowling alley has gone the same route, now offering miniature golf along with its video games. Believe it or not, we used to go to Marine World before there were rides. It was a novel idea, but we went solely to look at the animals. Anyway, I'll step off my cornbox for now...back to the farm. Speaking of cornboxes, they had one. This was the most fascinating thing for Jonah, so much more fun than ordinary sand. When he saw it, he promptly threw himself down and began flapping his arms and legs. "Look! I'm making a corn angel!" he yelled. It really impressed me that the employees weren't uptight or yelling out rules. Yes, there were "corn cops," but they seemed to be enjoying the activities as much as the kids were. I should mention that it wasn't a free for all, there were some rules, in fact quite a large list outside the maze which all warned that there would be penalties for anyone caught damaging the corn in any way. Jonah took the sign very seriously. He told me that midway through the maze, he saw a woman pulling the husk off an ear of corn. Indignant, he told her, "You're not supposed to be doing that!" She looked up in surprise and answered, "I just wanted to know if it was yellow corn or white corn." Her husband laughed and asked, "Are you a corn cop?" "Nope," he told them, "just a volunteer Junior Corn Patrol Officer." What a great evening! I guess that I've always had a secret longing for my kids to know some of the same experiences I had while growing up. I remember visiting a farm with my sister when I was around ten years old. My mother was in the house at a Tupperware party and the kids were outside, left to find their own entertainment...we did, about 20 of us took turns sliding off the roof of a barn and landing in knee deep cow crap. The joy of exploring different angles in which to fall was like no other. We made angels...cow patty angels. It was great Red Bluff fun. For some reason, we had not given any thought to the fact that our mother was in the house and wouldn't be expecting the sight of me and my sister covered in cow manure. We were relieved because when she saw us, she didn't say a word. Whew! We weren't in trouble! Or, so we thought. Halfway home, she started talking...yeah, she wasn't happy. It had something to do with the new car and the smell of cow crap. Looking back, I'm amazed we did that and actually thought it was fun. I am also amazed that we were so caught up in the moment that we forgot about answering to my mother. All kids should get to feel that. They should get carried away in something besides a video game. Technology robs their childhood hours. My space used to be my half of the bedroom I shared with my sister, something that we would fight over, but at least it was physical activity. A network of friends were the kids you rode bikes with. As much as I gripe about technology, I have to admit that it does have its benefits. Without it, no one would be reading this website. It also offers enough enjoyment that they won't be so desperate as to slide off the roof of a barn. Happy Halloween! Sign the Guestbook Back to the Home Page at www.redbluffismytown.com |
