Detasseling

So, if you are like me and not from around here...you may not be familiar with the child labor camps held in the summer...otherwise known as detasseling. Area kids (this company takes them ages 14 and up) show up at 5;45 each morning and are driven to corn fields where they detassel the corn fields. Don't ask me the details on that, I really have no idea....what I can surmise is that they take off the tassels of "eating corn" versus "feed corn" (don't hold me to it)...They do about 8 hours a day for around two weeks. My boys like the spending money they earn, and they impressed me by not complaining...they got themselves up and just woke me up to drive them over.
They had to wear long sleeves to avoid "corn rash" (I swear, their job has increased my vocabulary), the bandanas to cover their neck from corn rash, the orange hats have netting to keep the corn away from their eyes, and they also wore eye goggle things to protect their eyes. They had to wear long pants, but not jeans, or their legs would "chaff"... Is this legal?! This whole thing makes sweat shops look like a day at the spa.
Drop off in the parking lot...I had to hide in the car to take pictures.... Parker was mortified that I might get out and start zooming in...
Heading over to a crew meeting....they all have their lunches in the igloo ice chests and most carry a gallon of water...this year the boys bought those 'camel' backpacks (they carry water with a long hose thing to drink from) to walk down the fields with...I made fun of them mercilessly but they didn't care.
End of the working day....hot, tired, dusty....you would think they would lie around and recover the rest of the afternoon (that is what I do after a morning spent running errands with Tate and the girls)....but they shower and go ride bikes or swim with friends.
At home, I made them change their filthy, pesticide-ridden clothes in the garage....where I would put them in the washer with hot water and lots of bleach.
Detasseling seems to be a rite of passage for the kids here....many of their parents did the same thing....and they are all too quick to recount the horrible memories...but I don't think my boys really minded it. Let's face it, it was a way to get out of the house :)