Involving Kids on the Farm

Sometimes it’s hard in larger-scale farming to involve your kids. Especially when it’s your whole livelihood! You have a list of things you need to get done and only so much time.

Usually, the kids are so interested they want to be involved in every step, or they are at least taking your mental concentration asking question after question. This is a blessing, interest can not necessarily be taught. It’s a hard balance though with the workload, which is why we do our best to plan times that are relaxing and enjoyable to involve them, or we take operations (milk, sheep, layers, broilers) down a notch, to homesteading, so that there isn’t such a big pressure around it and we can make it work for us.

Feeding the fish in summer evenings is slow and sweet and full of connection. Taking walks to the cow pasture (to refill water) as a family makes it fun. Giving them small jobs they can accomplish well and be proud of is the best. The more I step back and realize I can support many small farms around me to feed our family, and we can focus on being excellent at our niche (fish), the more I want homesteading to work for my kids and fulfill roles in their lives - build character and resilience, give them hard skills and good perspective - instead of trying to fulfill the impossible dream of “doing it all.”

I want to pass on the love of farming and rural life, not the burden.