The Tale of Two Preemies: Skilled Trades

Friday, June 1, 2012

Skilled Trades

A friend of mine posted this video on Facebook a couple of weeks ago. There is an awful lot of truth in it.

Both Pat and I have college degrees. I hope my kids go to college after high school. However, I know a lot of kids that don't or go to a technical college. Does that mean they aren't as smart as the rest of us? Of course not. Maybe they struggled in school, but I bet they are a lot better at other things, like welding, electrical work, plumbing, etc. Staying at home and being married to a dairy farmer sometimes makes people believe we are uneducated. I hate it when people talk down to me. Just because a person works with their hands does not mean they don't have to use their head also. These skilled laborers are vital. A few years ago our furnace crapped out on Christmas Day during a really nasty snow storm. Our plumbing and heating guy was here by 8AM that morning. Next time your toilet backs up or your furnace craps out or you need new tires on your car, remember to thank those people and be grateful for the skills they have that you lack.

1 comment:

Unknown said...: Thanks for posting Becky - was really interesting. Hope you are all well. :)
~Sarah; 6/01/2012 6:40 PM

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Cole's Story

Cole was born at 30 weeks 3 days, much to our surprise, in 2006. I went in to the hospital because I wasn't feeling well and was afraid I'd get dehydrated. I ended up being air lifted to a larger hospital where Cole was born 24 hours later. He weighed in at 4 lbs. 2 oz. and was 17" long. He had some developmental delays, mostly due to acid reflux. He also had positional plagiocephaly and was in a remolding helmet for 6 weeks. At 14 months he underwent a cardiac catheter procedure to close his PDA. At 25 months he tripped getting out of his kiddie pool and broke his femur. He was in a cast from his hips to his toes for 4 long weeks. He also broke his shoulder at age 5 1/2. His latest medical drama has been a cyst in his left ear. He's had his adenoids removed and another surgery to remove the cyst. He'll have a second surgery in August. He's been through the ringer, but you'd never know it. He just rolls with the punches. He's 100% farm boy. He wants to know how everything works and why. He loves the farm. Farming is definitely in his blood.

Tate's Story

Tate was born at 34 weeks 2 days in 2008. Since I had a previous premature delivery, I was on high alert for another one. It didn't help. We had ultrasound after ultrasound and everything looked great. Tate, however, was not patient. I was admitted to the hospital with preterm labor. He held off for a couple of days, but was still born early. He weighed 5 and a half pounds and was 19" long. Fortunately he had no problems and was released from the hospital 3 days after he was born. He was born the middle child. He desperately wants to do what his big brother does, but has his own interests and wants Cole do to those with him. He's my trouble-maker, fit-thrower, and snuggle bug.