Feel like a bad Mom!

[Janet]

I took my son to work today to derouge corn. Well, we sat there and the bus didn't show up. The bus for the detasselers came and he and one other 'derouger' went up to the bus to find out what was going on and then he started coming back to the van. The bus driver (boss's wife) was waving him to come back and I asked him what was going on. He said he didn't want to detassel.

I told him she was waving him back and that's what he signed up to do in the first place. I said he needed to go today and then find out if he would be derouging anymore. He just looked at me and said.."okay, ONE DAY." He doesn't like detasseling at all and I feel bad that I made him go and spend the day being somewhere he doesn't want to be.

I sure hope he has a good day anyway, it only lasts until 2:30 PM. I just feel bad.

[AngieDoogles]

Aww, Janet! You are not even CLOSE to being a bad mom!!! I'm always so impressed with your love for your son and how wonderful you treat him and how close the two of you are. You are an amazing parent and he is SO blessed to have you in his life, even if sometimes he has to do something he doesn't want to do. Don't all children have to do things they don't want to because a parent makes them? That's just part of life. I think you do a great job. I wish there were more parents like you out there!

[Tink]

Janet, when he's an adult and his boss tells him to do something he really doesn't want to do he will think back to today. He will do what's asked of him, and his job will be secure because he didn't stomp off refusing to comply. The most important lessons we teach aren't always the fun ones. But that sure doesn't make you a bad mom for doing your job.

When he gets home I'd be sure to tell him how proud you are that he was grown up enough to do what needed to be done. I'd keep my guilty feeling to myself though... no one else but a Mom would feel guilty for expecting him to have gone.
You're doing him a favor by teaching that early.

I think you deserve a pat on the back. He has friends... he needs you to be his Mom and you're doing a great job of it.

[DianaB]

Originally Posted by Tink

Janet, when he's an adult and his boss tells him to do something he really doesn't want to do he will think back to today. He will do what's asked of him, and his job will be secure because he didn't stomp off refusing to comply. The most important lessons we teach aren't always the fun ones. But that sure doesn't make you a bad mom for doing your job.

When he gets home I'd be sure to tell him how proud you are that he was grown up enough to do what needed to be done. I'd keep my guilty feeling to myself though... no one else but a Mom would feel guilty for expecting him to have gone.
You're doing him a favor by teaching that early.

I think you deserve a pat on the back. He has friends... he needs you to be his Mom and you're doing a great job of it.

Well said!!!!!

[Forgivenmom5]

Janet you are always a good mom!!!

[Marilyn]

Janet, you are not bad. Tink and everyone else here is right on!!!!

BTW, I still don't get why you derouge and detassle corn where you are. We just plant, let it grow and pick it when it's dry enough. Strange custom where you are.

[Marilyn]

Janet, I just thought of something else. In a way, your son is not just learning the necessity of hard work and doing what is required to earn your pay, he is helping your local farmer employ US citizens and not have to find illegal immigrants to get the job done. The job your son is doing is exactly the type job that they say Americans no longer are willing to do. I think it is extremely admirable that your son and the other young men in your area are willing to do this type of work. Our parents generation was willing to do it. I remember my father telling of picking cotton to earn money to buy gas to get back and forth to college. As a mom, I think you are doing the right thing to encourage him to work hard. I wish I'd pushed my daughters more when they were your son's age. They could have been helping around the house more, but I hated hearing them complain when I got after them.

[Gina]

Originally Posted by Marilyn

Janet, I just thought of something else. In a way, your son is not just learning the necessity of hard work and doing what is required to earn your pay, he is helping your local farmer employ US citizens and not have to find illegal immigrants to get the job done. The job your son is doing is exactly the type job that they say Americans no longer are willing to do. I think it is extremely admirable that your son and the other young men in your area are willing to do this type of work. Our parents generation was willing to do it. I remember my father telling of picking cotton to earn money to buy gas to get back and forth to college. As a mom, I think you are doing the right thing to encourage him to work hard. I wish I'd pushed my daughters more when they were your son's age. They could have been helping around the house more, but I hated hearing them complain when I got after them.

Janet I agree with what Marilyn wrote here, Your son is doing a job, that many young american born children of today would not do. You should be proud of him. I am a city girl and don't understand the process in his job. But I sure know that my son would never do that, it sounds like hard work. Your a wonderful mom and are teaching him to be responsible. Pat yourself on the back, hard work never killed anyone.. The apple doesnt fall far from the tree. You did a great job

[Janet]

Originally Posted by Marilyn

Janet, you are not bad. Tink and everyone else here is right on!!!!

BTW, I still don't get why you derouge and detassle corn where you are. We just plant, let it grow and pick it when it's dry enough. Strange custom where you are.

Hope this helps some Marilyn:


WHAT IS IT?

Detasseling is the process of removing the flower or tassel from the top portion of the corn plant in order to cease self-pollination. These detasseled varieties are interplanted within rows of other varieties of corn that are not detasseled in order to produce cross pollination between the two separate varieties. This in turn creates a hybrid seed. This work involves walking down the rows of corn while pulling the tassel of each plant upward until you hear the tassel pop. This popping sound tells us that the tassel has been properly disconnected from the plant. The tassel is then dropped to the ground as you move on to the next plant. The objective of detasseling is to remove all (99.5%) of the tassels in your rows. This will require a second time through and depending on the quality of your work, possibly a third or fourth pull through your assigned rows in order to complete the field.

As far as de-roguing corn...I think it's a male stock in with the females and it has to be removed. I couldn't find any info on it and I even googled it.

[Janet]

He had a decent day yesterday...wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. Today we have storms and rain and he's out de-rogueing. I know he needed to go anyway, but wow, I just felt so bad. I remembered what it was like being somewhere and not wanting to be there and it just made me feel bad for him. But he made it through just fine. Being a Mom sure is hard!!! LOL

[DianaB]

I know how you feel, Janet. My husband used to make our oldest daughter go out and hoe beans. She would go out about as soon as the sun would come up and work until it got too hot. Then in the evening she would have to go back and work some more. It was really hot and dirty work and I felt so sorry for her but I also think that there's a lot to learn in hard work and taking pride in a job well done. When they get their paycheck there's a real sense of accomplishment and pride in knowing that they really worked for it. I think that they are more likely to be careful in spending their money knowing how hard it was to earn. I'm a very firm believer that growing up in the country and the work that comes with it makes good responsible kids. You're doing a good job with your son, Janet.

[judy]

Dear Janet,

It is so hard to be a mother. The better you are as a mom the harder it is too, don't you think? You try to teach them all the right things, and as teenagers, they don't want to do these things. It's a lot of push/pull.

He's such a good kid. Keep at it, but I do feel for you. It's a good thing guilt is not fatal.

Judy

[Marilyn]

Originally Posted by Janet

Hope this helps some Marilyn:


WHAT IS IT?

Detasseling is the process of removing the flower or tassel from the top portion of the corn plant in order to cease self-pollination. These detasseled varieties are interplanted within rows of other varieties of corn that are not detasseled in order to produce cross pollination between the two separate varieties. This in turn creates a hybrid seed. This work involves walking down the rows of corn while pulling the tassel of each plant upward until you hear the tassel pop. This popping sound tells us that the tassel has been properly disconnected from the plant. The tassel is then dropped to the ground as you move on to the next plant. The objective of detasseling is to remove all (99.5%) of the tassels in your rows. This will require a second time through and depending on the quality of your work, possibly a third or fourth pull through your assigned rows in order to complete the field.

As far as de-roguing corn...I think it's a male stock in with the females and it has to be removed. I couldn't find any info on it and I even googled it.

Oh, Janet, thank you. So this farmer is growing seed corn, not corn for consumption. I hadn't thought of that. I just figured the big seed companies grew their own seed corn and did not know how it was done. This is very interesting, and would be a totally different kind of farming from what is done around here for animal consumption. Wow, learn something every day.

I thought that derouging might involve removing the silks from the ear of corn since the silks sometimes have a purple color, they might be referred to as the rouge of the corn plant. Just speculating, but this would fit with the cross pollination being done.

Don't mean to side track your thread with technical stuff. Sorry but sometimes the engineer comes out in me.

BTW, you are an awesome mom!!!!! Your son will appreciate you even more some day!!!!