I was visiting Moise’s farm today, he was out in the fields with his son and some family members leveling the ground in preparation for a barn-raising in a few weeks.
I am drawn to the freedom the Amish give their young children. They are encouraged to freely explore their world by themselves and this girl greeted me, stared at me, waved to me and then was almost hypnotized by some laundry flapping in the wind.
In my world, we would never have given a toddler so much freedom.
I see it is common in the Amish community. When I lived in New Jersey, my daughter was often alone in her room, but never outside until she was in elementary school.
There are windows all around the barn (their temporary home) and people can see her from inside and keep an eye on her, but I see that they don’t seek to amuse her every minute with Ipads, craft kits, and Disney movies.
They don’t tell her where to go and how far she can go.
Children get used to entertaining themselves, given the chance. I don’t think any child could have been more transfixed by a toy than this beautiful child was of the laundry flapping on the line.
Growing up on a farm in rural Iowa during the mid 1950’s was very similar to how you are describing your Amish neighbors’ children. We had the run of 150 acres with a stream, cows in the pasture, pigs in the farm yard enclosure. We had a Shetland pony, bicycles dogs and cats. There were many chickens in the chicken house and many eggs to gather each day. We had chores on our grandfather’s farm and lots of time for us to explore, play and learn to have fun just with our siblings.
Thanks George, it is like going back in time…
wonderful photo! I sometimes wonder what humans will be like in the near future, children are losing so much of our nature to be curious, brave and smart early. It seems each generations takes the cotton wool helicopter parenting to a new level. Kind of sad…
I am glad there are some children in America who aren’t living lives completely structured and controlled.
When I was little, from about 5 or so, I was allowed outside by myself and I traveled around the neighborhood. It was a quiet suburb of Newark, NJ, Verona. I did follow my brother around a lot, but he just wanted to get rid of me. We had some woods behind our house and I spent a great deal of time exploring in there. I still love being in woodland. I knew when I was to be home, but I could go to see friends or whatever as long as I told my mother where I would be. It was imperative that I be where I said I would be. Mom did check up on me. Today, even elementary kids don’t get to the end of their block without their parents being there. That is much too stifling on the need to learn to do things for themselves.
I am very glad that my children, and later my grandchildren, grew up where they had maximum freedom. Living on the very outskirts of El Paso my two rambled in the desert for Hours bringing back arrow heads and devil’s claw seed pods ( which we made hanging chains from. I still have. A Bunch of them, here in Delaware)They took our two very protective Norwegian Elkhounds with them always and no one ever approached them too closely.
My grandchildren grew up in a tiny Texas community of ca 2,000 inhabitants. When it changed to 2,001 on the city’s name board we joked “oh, they have added the birth of our grandson!” When teenagers were found drinking the farmers who owned the land usually gave them 1) a warning and if they found them again 2) reported them to their families. At this date alcohol was the problem Now, about 20-25 years on it is drugs= much more difficult to deal with.
I grew up in the late 50s in suburban NJ. I did the same things the Amish children are doing. We explored teh nearby fields, wetlands, creek etc. with no supervision. Be home when the streetlights came on was all we were told.