The Life Of A Stock Show Parent

It’s 5:45 in the morning.

You’re driving down the interstate, hauling a trailer. On the horizon, you can start to see the smallest bit of light from the sun. In the backseat, your daughter is completely passed out. She’s laying on her brother, who’s pretending to be awake enough to look out the window.

In the cupholder next to you is a steaming cup of coffee. Of course, there’s an extra shot in it - maybe two.

Your whole family has been up since 4 am. You did everything you could to get things together the night before. Your kids washed the pigs, you bagged the feed, and your partner pulled together the kids’ show clothes. But at least one thing always gets overlooked and needs to be done in the morning when you load the pigs up.

There’s hardly anyone else on the road at this hour. And you can’t help but wonder what the other drivers out and about are doing. Maybe they’re heading home from a nightshift or going to an early morning shift.

But when you pass another trailer, you know where they’re going.

It’s time go showing.

Being The Parent

It’s not easy. Being a parent of a showman, that is.

You know your kid does a lot of work, but there’s your side of it, too.

While he’s out working the pigs, you’re inside studying the latest showmanship techniques so you can help.

While he’s in the ring, you’re living on a rollercoaster of emotions in the stands.

While he’s asleep in the backseat, you’re downing another coffee to stay awake behind the wheel.

But it’s worth every minute, isn’t it?

Because, over the years, you’ve watched that shy young lady you are blessed to call your daughter turn into a confident young woman who can hold her own in the ring. She will show circles around the boys and not even bother to learn their names.

Because you’ve seen your son learn to accept defeat. Even if he spent thousands of hours training his hog to not even get a showmanship callback, he still shook the judge’s hand. You were prouder in that moment than if he’d walked out with a buckle.

Because of the lessons hard fought and well learned.

People think that project animals are just about the kid and the animal, but being the parent of a stock showman is a really unique and special role that you get to play.

You’re not the one in the ring, but your heart can’t help but skip a beat whenever the judge moves near your kid. That’s a whole other experience.

And you get to live through a thousand emotions at once as you watch your child fail - and try again. It’s always hard to watch them fall, but you never tire of watching them get back up.

Yes, it’s tiring. They get to sleep in the backseat, but you get to drive another 5 hours to the show. And, yes, it’s expensive. It’s far from a cheap hobby.

But if you had to choose, you’d do it all again.

Because nothing will replace the water fights in the wash racks. Or the tired, “Thanks, mom,” on a show morning. Or the early morning donuts on the road to another show. Or the late night milkshakes afterwards. Or the time spent just laughing together on the road.

Sure, there’s fights, too. Moments when you considered giving it all up.

But at the end of the day? You wouldn’t give up those moments, either.

Because there’s nothing in the world quite like being a stock show parent.