Encourage your children to offer help if someone needs an extra show person or hand with fitting their animals. Thou shall be supportive and involved To the other extreme, some parents believe there should be no parental involvement or help. That is unrealistic. The breakdown of many American families can be directly related to families having nothing in common, no family projects or goals. An NJAA or 4-H project can bring the entire family together with a common goal.
Parents often find they have as much to learn as their children.
At home, parents can help with the training, feeding and care as the youngster learns and grows. At the show, parents can give advice if they see a judge is looking for something particular in the show ring. They often see an area on the animal that needs more attention. Parents make great bucket-carriers, runners for something forgotten and animal holders. Most importantly, they can give a word of encouragement and a smile when it is most needed.