I got such a laugh out of this and it actually made me re-evaluate my own dairy farmer dad and our entire lifestyle. My mom had it with her garden as well, plant something and then you know what you're doing for the next few months, taking care of those plants at all costs.

My problem was I bring an epic laziness to this equation so even if I plant things, I invariably let them go and if they die, I figure they become compost and that's okay too.

I don't know who these people with a plan are. I do know I dislike them intensely.

(I mainly laughed at the "kids are on their own" statement. When I think of the time my parents spent interacting with my teachers or helping me figure out academics in college--0 minutes--and how much time I spend trying to shepherd just two kids through the school system--what a difference.)