Homesteaders and Toddlers
Homesteading with a toddler has proven both a challenge and a blessing. Jobs that once took 5 minutes now take 20. The number of chores and projects that I must start and stop one hundred times is overwhelming. Despite this, it has also forced me to look at everything through a new lens. Watching our little one interact with the farm has been incredible.
Doing chores with an 18-month-old is slow, but I also take my time now. Instead of throwing feed in with the chicks and moving on, I stop and take the time to interact with them. I take the babies out and let my baby own touch and discover. When I collect eggs, I let him carry them back. I might lose a few here and there to small hands dropping them but the joy on his face as he opens the boxes and collects the eggs is worth every lost egg (even in today’s eggs economy). Before, a goat getting out of its field and running around the yard would have been annoying. Now I get to watch Lincoln chase and play with them. His favorite thing is getting treats and sharing.
After homesteading for this long, its easy to just get into routine and forget the why behind the work. The young eyes that follow me as do my work remind me to look at everything through his point of view. There are still times I get frustrated and just want to pick him up and rush through it, but its a well needed lesson in patience. I know it’s easier to go to the store to buy a gallon of milk instead of breeding our cow, waiting for her to have a calf, going out in the cold and rain to milk every day and then processing the milk so its ready for my family. But watching my youngest son learn where his milk comes from and how much work goes into that sippy cup is priceless. Its one of the reasons I am starting Toddler Time on the Farm. I want to share that experience with other parents and caregivers. Through play, I can let other kids learn the joy of growing food and being good stewards of the land. If you have a child between 1-3, you can bring them for some stories, animal feeding, crafts and snack every Thursday starting in May.