The second great part about the show was finally getting to have Allen Ormond as our judge. He is so respectful of the youth and speaks in such great terms that it really sets in for the kids. Kaits favorite thing he said, was Basketball, baseball, horseshoe. So the body should be round like a basketball, the head round like a baseball and a horseshoe to crown it. Kait was right in loving that analogy! Perfect way to look at your Holland. So we also learned some things about some of our home growns that will help us move forward in our herd. A doe we were a bit skeptical about got some great reviews from Allen who highly recommended keeping her in the barn as a brood doe. Being so new, it's just simple guidance from a respected judge that does help us along our way.
Allen was a wonderful judge and then our next judge was clearly not as familiar with Holland lops. Which in the end it is all fine because he made some very amusing remarks that we will get a kick out of for some time. It was also interesting as a parent to sit back and observe my kids as they listened to him evaluate the hollands. I like to see that they are quickly aware when one is not quite as educated as another.
On a less positive side of showing it reminds me of when I had my first child. I was so excited to take my 1 year old to her first Easter Egg hunt. She was barely able to tottle around and slowly made it to her first egg. As I stood back to take her picture a mom swooped in and truly grabbed the egg from her little hand. A part of me wanted to pounce on that woman like a wild tiger and tear her to shreds. But then I realized I must be an example for my children. I am finding that I see this similar behavior at the shows. Sometimes it seems more like the moms are swooping in when it is really a youth show. My daughter over heard one of the moms saying rude things about our rabbits. I again felt the urge to scratch someones eyes out, but at the same time, I was so completely proud of my daughters to be able to laugh it off and accept the fact that some people will just never get it. If they find joy in belittling something a child is working for then clearly something is lacking in their life.