This weekend we took our 20-month old daughter Chloe to Brookfield Zoo. We've made a habit to do this every year, starting with when she was in the womb. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the social ramifications of animals in captivity, you have to agree that to a child, it's pretty cool. Where else can you be exposed to the wonders of animal life on this planet?
Well, it dawned on me that exposing our daughter to the family farm from day one helps. We have our own zoo at home - 2 dogs and 2 cats that are a constant source of wonder and laughter for her. Whenever we visit Mom and Dad we always have to go say hi to the cows. At the zoo, the petting zoo was a HUGE hit. Chloe has no fear to get in the pen and mix it up with the goats. She was fascinated by the chickens and wanted desperately to pet one. The dairy cows they had there would low occasionally to which my daughter replied "cow". So she knows.
I am most thankful to my wife, who is about as city as you can get, to embracing those rural roots and helping to instill these values in our daughter. She has warmly embraced the romanticized emotions of rural life that we all have come to cherish. Our daughter will no doubt grow up with a love of animals, the outdoors and hopefully farm life.
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