County fair season is upon us with more fair dates than the calendar boxes can hold. You can easily recognize fair parents right now.  

1. Many will have stained hands. It may be because Timmy needed to finish his woodworking project and the stain got on everyone, or it may be that they have paint remnants left over from helping to paint an arts and crafts project or a livestock project. Of course the garden vegetable parents have a greenish tint to their hands from the weeding and picking they’ve been helping with. 
2. The majority of fair parents will have bags under their eyes. Yes, we all knew when the fair would be and yes, the children have been enrolled in their projects for months now, but the bottom line is that the majority of fair projects are completed in the last week leading up to the fair. We all have to learn lessons about procrastination and it seems as if fair week is one of the best teachers. And if it’s not from procrastination, it may be that the livestock kid has them at multiple shows in a single week. And that means late nights out at shows and early mornings to get their animals fed and cooled before the day warms up. 
3. Their car or truck is overflowing with supplies. From camp chairs to pop up tents, coolers to first aid kits, extra clothes and shoes to paints and adhesives, their vehicles become portable junk rooms and convenience stores. I just unpacked our car (and we’re just the show grandparents) to air it out before repacking it tonight so we can find what we need this week. Many meals have been cooked in the back of an SUV with the charger ports providing electricity for a crockpot while driving to the next show. 
4. Many fair parents look a little disheveled. Combine the stress of getting everyone and everything where it needs to be with the heat and humidity and we’re just lucky fair parents are still standing at the end of the week. Extend them a little grace this week. Late nights, early mornings and being on the go constantly tends to make them  forget to check the mirror and they may forget to comb their own hair. Now their  kids and their livestock, their hair will be perfectly in place…..just not the parents..
5. And lastly, fair parents will have a huge smile of pride on their faces when they see their kids completing the project they worked so hard on. They’ll be snapping pictures, shooting videos and bragging to everyone on just how great their kids did. And you know what?  They’ve earned the right to be proud. Fair kids learn many lessons when they put in the time and effort to see a project through to completion. Those lessons will also serve them well far into adulthood.