The Many Benefits of Kids Being on a Farm
As is the case for most small farms, Patch of Heaven is truly a family endeavor. Everyone, kids included, works hard to keep the farm running. Early on, my husband’s poor grandmother was so concerned for our children. You see, she grew up on a farm and despite some lovely memories, she also remembers HARD work and a few less than pleasant experiences (Let’s just say indoor plumbing hadn’t reached her neck of the woods yet!). The kids reassured her that they really did love being out here on the farm (and I’m happy to report that we are blessed with numerous indoor “facilities.”).
My hard working farm babies
But Grandma was right about one thing; it takes hard work to run a farm, no matter how big or small. And yet, somehow, the benefits still outweigh the work. I often ask the kids if they are still glad to be out here on the farm. After all, they now live farther from school, from their friends, from everything really! They have more chores and responsibilities than ever before. Poor weather or hot sun doesn’t excuse them from having to get outside. But every time I ask that question, the unanimous opinion is that they love it here. And when I sit back and watch, it’s easy to see why.
I’ve always believed there were tremendous benefits to having kids on the farm. Watching my own family at Patch of Heaven, I’ve discovered how incredible those benefits truly are. I could go on for days about all of the positives I’ve noticed out here, but here are a few of the biggest benefits of kids being on the farm.
Creates Compassionate Caregivers
Raising animals is an amazing experience. Seriously, who doesn’t love a fluffy little chick, a snuggly little kitten, or those adorable scrunchy piglet noses? Along with all that cuteness comes tremendous responsibility. There are, of course, the daily tasks of feeding and watering the animals, but there’s so much more. God has entrusted us as the caretakers of these animals and the kids take that role very seriously. When an animal is sick or in trouble, the kids jump in without hesitation.
When Rach brought home her last litter of piglets, they were still on milk. She suited up in her green Dr. Pol coveralls and rubber boots morning and night and headed to the barn to take care of her babies. She measured their milk and sat in their pen carefully watching to make sure everyone got their fair share. Then the little girls got sick and Rach added medicine to her daily routine. Twice a day she mixed medicine and caught squealing (more like screaming) piglets to give them oral meds. She spent hours in the barn watching for signs of improvement until every piglet was healthy and thriving.
Em nursed a failing, two-day-old chick back to health with all of the compassion and dedication of a NICU nurse. Jake turned down outings with his friends to stay home and make sure abandoned kittens were warm enough, well fed, and safe in the barn. When there is an animal in need, these kids do whatever it takes to help them without giving it a second thought.
Builds Character
A question often asked in job interviews is to list some of your strengths. Common answers are responsible, strong work ethic, team player. If employers are really looking for those traits, they should just hire a farm kid. Farm life is rewarding and can be a lot of fun. But there is no denying the responsibility and work required to keep a farm running, and the kids learn quickly the importance of hard work.
Last summer we had our ram, Al, and four ewes in our pasture surrounded by an electric net fence. One day, Al decided that he didn’t like the fence and chose to remove it. The kids were home alone when they discovered the ewes scattered around the yard. Al was entangled in the fence running through the pasture, ripping out fence posts and the remaining portions of fencing as he ran. By the time we got the phone call alerting us to the situation, the girls had corralled the ewes, Jake had caught Al and freed from his entanglement, and the three of them had much of the fence replaced around the pasture. The kids were really just calling to let us know what happened, that everyone was safe, and that a few fence posts were broken. Wow! Wrangling an angry ram, corralling frightened ewes, and untangling fencing are all huge jobs. Those kids handled the situation like pros. It was a spectacular demonstration of taking responsibility and using teamwork to get the job done.
Develops Creativity & Problem Solving Skills
While preparing to write this post, I asked the kids what they thought were some benefits of living on the farm. “We get to be creative!” Rach replied. And boy was she was right! There are always challenges and needs on the farm and unless you are independently wealthy - we are not - you can’t just pop over to the local farm supply store and buy something to meet your needs. Enter creativity!
Our piglets lived in the barn, but as they got bigger, they needed fresh air and green pasture. That also meant they needed a shelter and a waterer. Pig snouts are incredibly powerful so all needed to be sturdy. (Those suckers can destroy a waterer in an afternoon!) Scrap wood and repurposed sheets of plywood and metal sheeting were pulled from the barn and fashioned into a sturdy, secure pig shelter. An old water heater tank was outfitted with some hog nipple waterers and strapped to t-posts and cinder blocks in the hopes that it would withstand that piggy power. In no time at all, a little farm ingenuity solved the pig problems.
The kids’ creativity is not limited to farm work. They find all kinds of creative things to do for play too! One winter day I was working in the barn. We had enough snow to make a mess but not the right type or amount for an awesome sledding experience. But they didn’t give up! I heard a motor and looked out to see one kid driving the UTV dragging a tow rope attached to a plastic sled carrying a laughing child. (I promise they were being safe!) There is no end to the fun to be had out on the farm!
A Chance to Just Be
If you have teenagers you have said, “UNPLUG!” at least a thousand times. Rach has now coined the phrase, ‘Unplug ya lazy slug!’ We live in a digital world and kids are more connected than ever before. There are screens everywhere and more and more kids spend their days sitting on their butts glued to a screen. I’ll spare you my soapbox moment about how detrimental this trend is to our kids. But it’s no secret that obesity, anxiety, and all kinds of horrible issues are on the rise in American kids.
I’d be lying if I said my kids were not glued to their devices more than they should be. But I also find Jake snuggling a kitten in the hammock reading a book. It warms my heart when I hear one kid yell to the other, ‘Come check out this sunset!’ The girls spend hours riding motor bikes through the pasture and chasing pigs around the pen. There is a sense of peace on the farm that is hard to find in today’s world. There is freedom out here. Freedom to explore. Freedom to be adventurous. Freedom to just be.
After her last visit, my sister said it perfectly,
“Our children are now expected to read before Kindergarten. They're in activities and sports from their first steps on. Technology follows quickly and soon our kids don't know what's really out there. Patch of Heaven brings the most incredible sunsets every night - no matter how many pics you take you'll never get the colors right. The sounds of the animals are more peaceful than any sound machine. There's a calm that can't be found anywhere else no matter what time of year you're here. Slow down and unplug - teach our kids they don't need to download an app to do that, just step outside and listen.”
Being on the farm is helping our family learn and grow in ways far beyond anything we ever expected. Farm life is helping our kids to be confident, independent, and healthy and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
