This was my first year as a 4-H parent and I have to say the experience was a learning one not only for myself but also my child.  She gained a lesson in responsibility.  She had a bucket calf and she had to feed it twice a day, bathe it, and had to help with the breaking it to lead process.  It was good for the whole family as grandma and grandpa also helped her with breaking the calf to lead.  She weighed 42 pounds and the 4th of July he weighed 465.  The day of fair as she led in her huge calf the comment was made that what were we thinking letting that little girl in with that great big calf.  But to us we knew that he was gentle and the hours she'd spent messing with him he was just gonna follow her around the ring and wait patiently until she led him out.  This little girl got along better with her 500+ pound calf then some of the high school age kids that were bigger and had smaller cattle to work with. 

I agree some parents do it for their kids but I still feel it's a valuable organization for the ones who truely do it on their own or with the assistance of family members.

This year was also my first year for being involved in an organized youth sports organization.  It was t-ball.  They don't keep score, everyone bats, and everyone gets to run the bases.  Yet there was still one father that was a complete a$$.  We had a special needs child on our team that usually took 8 times to ever hit the ball.  The father on the other team said to the kids on the field we are going to wait all day for this kid to hit it.  With parent's like this in today's society do we really wonder where the snot nosed pain in the butt kids are coming from??