At 6 am I rolled out of bed, bleary eyed from waking up every hour on the hour during the night, afraid I would sleep through my alarm. I zombie walked around trying to focus and remember what I needed to do, along with waking my granddaughter W up to get her ready. An hour later, W and I were all dry shampooed (because we weren’t about to waste precious sleeping time to shower), hair pony tailed and we were out the door leaving the rest of the family quietly enjoying their early Saturday morning.
So what would pull us two sleep loving girls out of our warm beds on this cold (17 degree) morning? 4H duties of course! We were heading to the County Extension Office where Miss W was volunteering two hours of her morning to be a target runner for the 4H air-soft and rifle BB competition. This was something she had never done before, but she was up before the sun to show up and give it her best shot with a little encouragement from me. She was stepping out of her comfort zone and fighting her shyness to participate in 4H service and do something she had never done before and…..if you know W, this is not an easy thing for her.
When I tell people that my grandkids are involved in 4H, one of the major things I always hear is, “Oh are they farm kids?” My answer is always, “We live in a small town but not on a farm.”
The belief that 4H is only for farm kids couldn’t be further from the truth. W has been involved now for a couple of years. Her first foray into the world of this group whose mantra is “To make the best better,” started when her friend took her to a couple of monthly local meetings. While I don’t think she really understood what 4H was all about at the time, she enjoyed going and doing the projects and hanging out. Later, the same friend talked her in to joking BB rifle shooting. This was something new to W and at first she started going every Sunday with her friend and her family.
Reports starting coming back to me that W was quite a shot and soon her dad started going with her. She would bring her targets home that showed this little girl was quite a good shot. I think this is where the real 4H bug hit her. Before long she was a fixture at all the monthly meetings and she was going to do whatever service projects the group did.
I soon learned that W was developing a love/hate relationship with 4H. She loved going and being a part of the 4H world as long as she and her friend were together, but as happens, the girls began to grow up and do some of their own things, which at times left W having to do things independently. This once again made W have to leave her comfort zone and stretch her abilities independently. This is a struggle for her, but because of it, I am starting to see her grow and mature in some amazing ways.
Over her time in 4H, she has participated in the county fair, making a candle and pillow (placing in both), as well as she has learned to make presentation boards about her projects and present them to the judges. The presentations were hard for W as she hates having attention on herself and speaking, but she did it and she did it well.
She has become treasurer for her local group, participated in float building, been a part of two parades, and participated in meet judging (where her team placed) at one of our state universities.
Along with having new experiences, learning new things and finding out the things she likes in 4H, W is also learning the things that aren’t her favorites and giving herself the voice to speak up and not limit herself. After completing her second year of BB rifle shooting, she has decided that next year she will try something else and find some new experiences in 4H.
Today I sit here and even in the short time I have sat here with her, I have seen growth. She had no idea what a target runner in a tournament did and I could see the anxiety mount, but rather than give in, she faced the fear, jumped in and once she figured out what she was doing she relaxed and has done great.
In the year 2025, she has many more 4H experiences ahead of her. Some she is expecting, and some I know will be surprises. All will help her to develop into a secure, confident woman with skills and talents and the desire to serve both her community and her world, but mostly to help her become the best and then strive to be even better!
