Keep running from the chickens, friends

Running from the chickens

With the passage of time, every parent reaches that point in life where the children are growing up and the reigns must be loosened a bit. In our family, Lilli has become the child who values friendship and thrives on a sense of popularity. Recently, momma and I were faced with the gut-wrenching choice of allowing her to have her first sleep-over. For me, having the law in my genetic makeup, all the cases I’ve worked on and horror stories I’ve heard fill my mind and I must fight the tendency to smother my girls to ensure their safety. With an air of apprehension, we gave in and allowed her to go for a sleep-over to show her we were proud of her and to allow her to continue building trust.

With our child safely back at home, my worst fears were proven wrong, and my child seemed better because of the experience. Our family went about our routine and with the passage of a month or so the question arose again. With no viable excuse to not allow the girl to go spend the night at her friends again, we reiterated the rules and sent her off to “the fun house” as we settled in for a peaceful night at home with our youngest.

Dawn brought the normal hustle and bustle of getting ready for the new day. Lilli routinely takes care of the chickens each morning so in her absence Riyann agreed to feed and water the flock. As I prepared my morning coffee, I realized Riyann had been outside for quite a while and went to investigate. As I exited the house, I saw her doing her best to fill the chicken’s waterer. Upon seeing me she excitedly described what she had done to that point and provided me with an egg count. As the child spoke, I could see the excitement in her mannerisms and hear the pride emanating from her voice.

Without missing a beat, Riyann asked, “Do you want to hear about what happened to me?” As I expressed my interest, she began telling me her story. She explained that everything was going great. She shared that after checking the bedding box she began telling the girls (chickens) that she was proud of them for laying so many eggs. As she rounded the corner to enter the enclosure, everything was as it normally was according to the child. As her eyes widened, she described how when she entered the enclosure the chickens were acting as they normally did. Then out of nowhere, her favorite chicken, Wednesday, decided to begin chasing her around the enclosure and a couple other chickens followed suit, doing their best to corner the child.

The child described how Wednesday began “pecking” her foot in an apparent attempt to “eat her” as she repeatedly attempted to shuffle her feet to keep from being “eaten by her beloved chickens”. As she and I laughed about her morning encounter we decided that the girls were probably mad because we chose to sleep in, and they didn’t get their daily treats at their normal time. Either that or the fact that Riyann was the last to hand feed the girls worms and they associated her with the tasty treat.

With a large smile on my face, I can’t get the image of little Riyann, hastily running around the chicken coup, doing her best to avoid her beloved chickens who were determined to show her who the boss truly was. With Riyann’s adventure in mind I am reminded about how often our routine can be shattered by the actions of others or the unintended consequences of change. Many times, our routine is altered, and we are left with the choice of continuing onward towards our goal or retreating. We must remind ourselves that when the changes occur, it is then that our determination must prevail, regardless of the chickens chasing us. Keep running my friends, focused on the future and the goals we have set for ourselves.

Richard J. Stephens lives in Carter County and is the father of three little ladies ranging in age from 9 to 29.