My daughter is doing 4-H for the first time this year. I never did 4-H, and neither did my husband. We knew nothing about it besides that kids complete projects and show animals at the fair. It turns out, this was a disadvantage, because there is definitely a learning curve. As my daughter gets ready to complete her first year, though, let me tell you, it’s been worth it!
I’m not sure what I was expecting when my daughter signed up for 4-H. To be honest, signing up itself was a little difficult. Maybe I’m too accustomed to everything being some digital form, but getting all the information I needed involved calling multiple people, first someone at the 4H office and then the club leader to get details.
At every step, I’ve had questions. Everything is new to me. Just a few weeks ago, after I thought I finally had a handle on everything and all the dates correctly entered into my calendar, I found myself scrambling to register her fair project the day before the deadline, because I didn’t even know fair projects had to be registered.
As I sit typing this, I’m just a few hours away from taking her to submit her first project for judging.* I’m not super sure where to go or what the process will look like. I haven’t attached her project tag yet because I’m not even sure where to attach it. I’m telling you—I know nothing!
(*I just got home from submitting her project, and I had to add this edit: I went to the wrong line TWICE. Ha! I basically did the process backward. I asked three different people for help. It was very on par for how this whole year has gone.)
Most people in the 4-H club my daughter attends have been involved in 4-H for a long time. Before them, their families have been doing 4-H for a long time. It can seem like it’s expected that you have this generational, institutional knowledge of 4-H.
The first time doing something new is always a challenge I tell my daughter and myself as we navigate this new adventure. I’m hopeful next year it will feel a little easier. And then the next year after that, it will feel even easier. Soon, we’ll have the institutional knowledge that everyone else seems to have. And if it means stumbling my way through paving this path for my kids, then I’m happy to do it.
Regardless of my fumbling with the details and plans, my ten-year-old daughter is thriving. She’s attended club meetings without knowing anyone else there. She’s planned out her project on her own and then spent hours completing it. Along the way, her club leaders have been an amazing source of support and encouragement, and I’m blown away by the way they’ve led.
My daughter joined 4-H specifically for cake decorating. While I enjoy making fun cakes for birthdays and special events, I’m usually figuring out how to do the decorations as I go. I’m not the best person to teach her how to pipe specific borders and designs, mainly because I’m not sure if I’m even doing it right!
But her club leaders have shown her how to do it. They’ve gone above and beyond to set her up for success. They’ve helped her refine and execute her design. They’ve mentored her and taught her how to decorate her cake correctly, step by step. This week, I met someone who was a ten-year 4-H member herself who came back to help with cake decorating. She was mentored by the current club leader and currently owns her own cake business. “It’s my way of giving back,” she said as she helped out that week.
And that’s something I’ve come to find most valuable about 4-H. It truly is a connected atmosphere where kids are supported, and community is formed. It’s a place for kids to have the space to create, with mentors there to help them. It’s a place where my daughter can learn and practice a new skill. It’s a place where she can display what she’s learned—a cake that she’s incredibly proud of—for the county to see.
This must be why once families start 4-H, they stay. They know what to do because they know how special it is. They’ve been a part of it, and they want their kids to be a part of it. I’m glad we’ve jumped in. I’m so proud of my daughter and all she’s learned. And I can’t wait to go to the fair and see all the 4-H kids’ hard work on display. And next year, I can’t wait to sign my next daughter up for her first year, hopefully knowing just a little bit more than I did this year.
