Chet and Landon with the Sheep

23. The Boys Have some Fun with the Sheep - 1965

Dad Sees the Boys having Fun

One afternoon I observed the two boys in the pasture tossing small rocks at the sheep. Now they were small rocks and they were throwing them softly on the backs of the sheep that had lots of wool. I realized that the sheep were not in real danger but saw an opportunity to teach a good lesson to the boys. I silently strolled down where the boys were and when they saw me they immediately had a guilty look on their faces. I tried to put them at their ease by telling them that it looked like a lot of fun to me. While it didn't hurt the sheep it did make them startle and look around to see the problem. The boys readily agreed that it was some fun.

"Hey," I said, "How about you guys go down there and I throw rocks at you. That would be even more fun." The looks on their face changed instantly and I could see tears begin to form. I explained that just as the boys depend on me to take care of them, the sheep depend on the boys to take care of them. And that didn't include tossing small rocks at them. I explained that what is fun to one is not necessarily fun to another. They understood immediately.

Chet and Landon in the Pasture with the Sheep