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| Princess Dragon Snack hauling wood |
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| Master Hand Grenade setting the example |
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| Sir Knight & Master Hand Grenade manning the log splitter |
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| Master Calvin doing his part |
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| Miss Calamity stacking high on the pile |
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| Princess Dragon Snack "supervising" from the log splitter |
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| The dwindling wood pile |
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| The increasing wood stack |
It seems to me that children thrive when they are part of something bigger than themselves. They need to feel useful, needed, as we all do. We need our children. Their assistance is a necessity if we plan on keeping this family warm, fed and clothed. They are part of something bigger than themselves. They are part of a family.
Once you sell, where are you moving to? Is it another farm? A place where you will need the new wood stack?
ReplyDeletePrepared Teacher;
ReplyDeleteI will post about our hopes and dreams. Yes, it will be a place that we need a new wood stack!
Enola
I think they also need to feel competent. "I can do this!" Living the way you do, each kid can see how the the family functions, and can see the purpose of each job, and how they all fit together such that they have a place to sleep, and eat, and store and prepare food, etc., etc. They can see that they WILL be able to do all of these things, and feed, clothe, and house -- I mean shouse -- themselves, and their families.
ReplyDeleteChildren of people who run bazillion dollar hedge funds don't have any idea how to feed, clothe, and house themselves. Yes, as they get older they will get some idea what their parents do, and even that they can learn it, but they have NOT had that feeling of basic competence you get from knowing how to get in wood to heat a house. THOSE kids look at the world from the perspective that they CAN survive, CAN learn whatever needs learning to do what needs doing to survive and thrive.
Some billionaire -- or his kid -- off the road in his Mercedes in a blizzard is as helpless as a newborn baby, and knows it.
I don't know if I'm getting my basic point across, but your kids are getting a MUCH richer, deeper, wider education, and confidence than the rich kids. Believe me, I know.
Bill Smith
Connoisseurs -- such as yourselves -- of heating with wood know that there is a vast difference -- that can be spotted at 60 mph -- between a wood pile, and a pile of wood.
ReplyDelete=)
Bill Smith
And also, kids need to explore. I think having a lot of room to explore the land God has given us is something that satisfies a need deep in every human - and children are no exception.
ReplyDeleteI think children who don't get that tend to explore inwardly - and get lazy. So I'm putting money away for land, and in the meantime enjoy reading about yours!
~Beth