A battle of the wills, sheep style

L. has two new ewe lambs for her 4-H sheep showing season. She named them Pearl and Onyx after polling friends on Facebook about naming options. She's been working to get both new lambs halter trained but the lambs are not quite with L's program just yet. Pearl especially is not loving the halter. But L. is not one to give up any argument easily.

Right now it is a battle of the wills with Pearl.

I mentioned last year that halter training should be required for all teens to experience, especially the stubborn, think-they(teen)-know-everything lawyer-type personalities. It's both a humbling experience for the kids as well as an a-ha moment of recognizing their own behaviors in those of their animal.

There are days I am overwhelmed with the logistics of getting L. to various livestock shows because it not only involves human transportation, it requires coordination with a trailer to haul the animals too. But all the 4-H parents help each other out to make things manageable - and fun for all of us.

The a-ha moments are wonderful to witness as well. L. is in the thick of halter training for the second spring in a row and I find that my spunky 13-year-old is a little more agreeable about other things right now. For that I am grateful to her wooly friends.

There are a variety of reasons why I make logistics for all the animals both my girls have work. But these agreeable moments in my lawyer-type L. are a compelling reason keep some lambs in the backyard.

... and the reason that L. now has three lambs (Minnie, Pearl and Onyx), which inches us up to the "flock" status this year.

L's two piglets arrive this weekend for a different sort of experience.

Simple and easy are not synonyms for L. and I have accepted that (I think).