City Kids

My kids are city kids. They will probably never grow up in a small town or the country. I grew up in a SMALL town (approx. 300 people) and a drive in the country last week got me thinking about all the things my city kids would never experience.  Any to add?

1. They won’t be in a split classroom of grade 1 &2, 3&4, etc.  because the number of children are so small in the school.
2. They won’t be taught by a second cousin or go to school with a second cousin.
3. They won’t be taught by the same teacher as their parents, cousins and brother (just to clarify that is not the second cousin teacher, that was a different grade).
4. They will never despise the grater because now it is REALLY hard to ride your bike on the soft gravel.
5. Classmates will not be missed because it’s harvest time or hunting season.
6. No waiting for a bus in -35 weather. And seeing a moose while waiting…every day.
7. The neighbor will never drive them to school WHEN they miss the bus.
8. They will never get a call from dad telling them to close the windows because Mr. Farmer across the road is spraying the fields and noticed our windows are open.
9. They will never drive home down a country road at 10 km/hour because dad is checking everyone’s crop.
10. They will never hear coyotes howl at night.
11. No mapped out route to work, at the local gas station, that includes ONLY  right hand turns because the gas station is on a high accident prone highway.
12. They will not find out dad bought a new truck before he comes home and tells moms because of a series of phone calls;  starting with him stopping in town.
13. They will never have a tab at a local grocery store.
14. They will not go to the hair salon to have summer in the ice cream,  the gas station to rent a movie, the barber shop to pick up a greyhound parcel, the tire shop to write a driver license’s test or the register office to pick up a C.O.D. Sears parcel.

Even though the list is long of things my kids will never experience about small town living, we are happy where we are. Many opportunities not available to me are available to them because of the small city we live in. Last year we went back to my small town country fair and watched the parade. “WOW’s” could be heard from my son’s mouth as fire trucks and farm machinery drove past. Because that is what a small town country parade is, oh and PLUS you get candy!!