I hope you have your chair and your tea this one is a good one! Why do kids belong on a homestead? Why is it important to show your kids the value of hard work, dedication and future? Why is it ok for them to get scratched by a chicken, chased by a cow, thrown by a horse? Bumps and bruises happen whether you are outside on a farm or inside walking around the corner of a bed. It doesn’t matter.

So on the homestead….Reason #1: The same thing we have been continually talking about…No one knows where their food comes from! No one knows what is in the food they eat, or how it makes it into the super market. Reason #2: The value of hard work. People aren’t taught just how satisfying it is to make, grow, harvest and be self sufficient. Reason #3: Their own Dependency. Most kids or even young adults and some grown adults couldn’t survive without the grocery store or having what other people do/make for them.

Lets break it down for you in detail:

Reason #1: Homestead/Farm kids know where their food comes from. They know when they plant a seed it can reap a harvest. They know that they can fill their freezers up with a beef or pig and chickens. They know the medications, the shots and vaccines that are given to each animal and when it was administered. They know that if they produce a few of the animals they can also sell them to processors who will supply the stores. They know that multiple seeds planted in the ground and harvested, canned and put in the cellar will supply them all year with fresh food, made on their own land. They know that the money they spend at the supermarket will be only for necessity items or wants, like sugar or already ground flour or cornmeal. Even if that animal is a pet to them they know that the animal was put here for a reason and that is to supply food for them.

Reason #2: Let’s go back to before the 1900’s. Everyone almost grew their own food, worked a farm or shared crops so everyone had what they needed. The value of knowing that you went out into a field, garden, kitchen or wherever. You worked the ground, planted your seeds, tended to them to make sure that everything grows correctly, harvested the plants, preserved your harvest. Sweat, tears and blood. It’s not easy. It’s not as easy as sitting on the couch, playing video games, and going to the store and buying pre made food full of crap. Your hard work produces food for you all year long. Your hard work lands that fresh beef, pork and chicken inside your freezer or cellar and you can go there anytime to enjoy what you have put your hard work into. I can tell you from experience that when you go to the cellar and open a jar of let’s say Pickled Beets, and you taste what you have done, or your kids only want what you have done and you have passed that on to them. That’s the satisfaction. No greater feeling. Quick story off topic sorta: My wild little boy is (8) and he is and isn’t picky about what he eats. He loves food and will eat about anything if its fresh. He loves fresh eggs, meat and home canned vegetables. We were eating at a buffet restaurant a while back and he got a heaping amount of mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans. I put his plate on the table and go to fix my plate. When I come back to the table he is having a fit, I ask him what the issue is. His reply “Mom, I tried to tell you don’t get the taters and green beans.”, I said “Why son, Im starving!”. With his reply had me spitting my drink across the room.. “Mom, even the green beans are Instant”. Y’all I about died right there on a Coca Cola. But he could taste the difference! So the value of knowing what you can supply for your family is the best ever feeling ever! You have respect for your ground, your animals, your equipment, your life, farm, family and everything. If you have to work for it and it’s yours and you wouldn’t have it if you didn’t bust your tail end working for it. You appreciate and value what you have and do.

Reason #3: Self Sufficiency and Dependency: Now I am not bragging about what my kids know and can do. But I am proud of the fact that if something were to happen to either myself or my husband. My kids can kill their own food, make their own medicines, grow a garden and harvest it. I know that they wouldn’t have to spend their money on trash at the supermarket for things they could do on their own. We don’t even buy cheese sticks, We make our own. And when you have teenagers who would rather you make it like that or have taught them to do it that way, that’s an accomplishment for sure. I want to know that my kids can not only survive but live without me one day. My biggest job on this earth is teaching them to be their own person, rely on themselves and be healthy. So far we are doing a good job! My teenagers and 8 year old can do things that most adults can’t do. That says something.

We definitely aren’t perfect or trying to be. What we are doing is trying to be the best Godly people we can, who make mistakes daily. We want them to know that what we are teaching them is what is the best for them despite what society says. Society says hurry and stop at the store, get this because you are too busy to do anything else. Which leads us to the next BLOG topic… MOM’S ROLE.

So bring your chair back and your tea (hot or cold). I suggest blueberry tea with lemons and honey! Always remember to Smile, God loves you and so do we! Check out our website: www.madewithtonsoflove.com, Facebook: Made With Love Homestead, Instagram: Madewithtonsoflove, TikTok: thecrazyherblady25