I was the oldest in a family of seven. We lived on a small farm near Tyler, Minnesota. One day, my dad was short-handed and asked me for help.

We drove the old '32 Chevy pickup to the grain field and Dad proceeded to teach me how to drive. Remember, I was only twelve years old and that truck was very big!

The hardest thing for me to do was to reach the clutch and hold it all the way in while attempting to pull and push the shift lever on the floor. The gears would grind, the truck would lurch and the motor would die, but Dad just kept saying, "You're doing great Opal, and you can get it, try it again!"

Finally I did get that trucking going! Thoughts went raising in my head. I was so excited and proud. I loved my Dad and would do anything for him.

That summer as we thrashed grain and I took the grain to the town elevator in the Chevy pickup.

I learned many things that summer: how to drive the tractor, haul wagonloads of grain and bring the receipts to my Dad. The most fun was going to pick up "mash" for the chickens and salt blocks for the cows.

As I look back on this time, I am reminded of the confidence my Dad had in me at such an early age. Maybe there is a lesson to learn today from that confidence.

Today, my father is 96 years old. He resides in a nursing home and lives to play cards and talk politics. I am so proud of my Dad! He taught me how to be proud of myself!

Don Schmitz is a popular speaker and writer on parenting and grandparenting. He is the author of The New Face of Grandparenting…Why Parents Need Their Own Parents and founder of The Grandkidsandme Foundation and Grandparent Camps. Don holds graduate degrees in Education, Administration and Human Development. He is the father to three sons and nine  grandchildren. Contact Don@grandkidsandme.com