Being Young

My parents have over an acre of property and so with this acre, they get a water share (irrigation) to water that property with. I remember growing up with my dad and mom flooding our entire yard once a week in the summer so they wouldn't have to water until the following week. This was one of the highlights of my summer because it was like one giant acre sized swimming pool every week. The ditches were especially fun because they were deep enough that we could completely submerge our bodies and swim up and down them like a lap pool. Now, I know that this all sounds like fun and games but for those of you who do not know what irrigation water entails, let me just tell you that not even a petri dish the size of Texas could hold all of the germs and diseases that festered in that water. I remember on numerous occasions dodging a cow pie or sheep "droppings" as they floated by. Back then I just figured as long as I did not touch them, I had nothing to worry about. Now that I have officially grossed everyone out, let me get to my point. A short time ago we were up at my mom's house when the irrigation came in. Tylie immediately took on the mentality that I had so long ago and when bounding right into that nasty cess pool. Being her mom, I naturally freaked out. I tried to stop her but what do I do when Jake rips off his shoes and starts dancing in it with her? Before I knew it, my little girl was stripped down to her panties, sopping wet, and treating the grass like one giant slip and slide. All I could do was sit on the porch and picture the round of vaccinations the doctor was going to have to administer to save her from this experience. My mom sat there and laughed like there was nothing wrong in the world. Well, what did I expect. She was crazy enough to let all of us romp around in that nasty water, why would she stop with her granddaughter? Then she calmly reminded me of an experience that my sister Brittany had a short time ago in one of her college classes. Brittany is going into the medical field and one day her teacher was talking about immune systems and how they work. She questioned the class about how often they got sick and asked them to raise thier hands accordingly. Brittany was one of the very few that got to raise her hand that she rarely got sick. Her teacher then asked if any of them had grown up on a farm. Brittany stated that she had and then recited some of her experiences, one of which included our regular swims in the irrigation. Her teacher told her that because she was exposed to germs early on in her life, her body was able to build up a strong immune system and that is why she does not get sick very often. Now, I am certainly not suggesting that every one should go out and start finding cow pies to play frisbee with but I have to check myself every once in a while. I have to remember that it is ok for Tylie to get a little dirty sometimes and she is going to go through some experiences that I might freak out about but it is really ok. I used to fault my mom and tell her that she should have been more careful with us. Sometimes I look back on my childhood and wonder how it is that I am still alive to reflect on those experiences. Sorry mom! I now understand that you were just letting us be kids and enjoy our childhood while it lasted. Besides, how boring would family reunions be if we could not all sit around a table and bring up those stories and laugh until our stomachs hurt?