I have a friend that grew up on tons of land with the largest garden ever – I am talking like 3 football fields big! Yes, I am super jealous of that life. When I talk about my garden she smiles and tells me stories about how her parents had her out in the garden at a young age picking green beans for days, and then having to peel the ends, and snap them for canning. Long story short- she doesn’t miss it! She lives a much different life now, no garden, and usually pays anyone to do any yardwork for her. It always makes me wonder if having a large garden and asking {or forcing} my kids to hold more responsibility in the overall work of our land and animals would cause them to grow up hating this life.
Truth is we have lived this larger garden life for one year and 98% of the work was done by my husband and I. Sometimes the kids come around and want to dig a hole, or run the cultivator for a bit.. But I haven’t made it a chore. Part of it is because I can be pretty controlling and if it isn’t done how I picture it I may get a tad….. (shhhh..) Bossy. Regardless! I always think about how we are doing this work for the family, for us to eat home grown foods, to get eggs from the chickens etc. Shouldn’t the kids have more responsibility?
Personally, I believe the answer is yes. They should definitely have more responsibility and learn this life for many reasons. It doesn’t mean that I have to give them the hardest jobs, or the less rewarding jobs. I want them to be interested, and genuinely want to learn. It doesn’t mean there won’t be times that they have to do something they don’t want to – cause we all know.. That is going to be 95% of the time. No matter what.. I want them to be part of this adventure even if they decide that this life isn’t for them and they flip the script ending up closer to the city and paying people to do it for them- there will still be lessons that they learned while working on our land that they can use in the real world.
I have listed out the top 10 personal pros of getting my kids more involved. This is my year to pass on learning and responsibility so that I can enjoy these benefits, and watch my children grow:
10 Benefits of Children Helping in the Garden
1. The Beauty of Being Outdoors –
Kids these days can spend hours upon hours just watching their tablets. YouTube & Games control their lives. It’s really sad when I see them outside for a couple of hours and I think “Wow, look at that – they are entertaining themselves outside like we did when we were kids!” But it’s so important to encourage creativity and independence. I realize that if I require them to be outside for a period of time, they end up finding something fun to do and will stay double or triple the time I originally asked for. They basically have to learn how to play outside just as they learned how to play on their tablets.
2. Planning & Organizing –
Some of the lessons in life that you use everywhere are simple such as organization or even planning out your project. Having the kids involved in planning what plants go where and being part of the research as to what type of sun they need or companion plants help them develop these skills and put them into practice.
3. Responsibility –
My kids have always had a habit of assuming that everything is mine or their Father’s responsibility and they have no accountability to typical tasks around the house. If we thought of our family as a business, I would definitely have fired all three kids years ago. We are taking baby steps towards them understanding the benefits we enjoy in this house, including a large yard, our pets, come with sacrifice and effort such as mowing the grass or cleaning out the chicken coop. We are far from where we should be but developing this accountability will follow them throughout their lifetime.
4. Learning Where Their Food Comes From–
My daughter had a section in school of learning about plants about a year ago. I was so sad to hear her talk about plants as if she knows nothing about them. I understand not knowing the big science fancy wording but to just not know the general cycle was eye opening for me. We obviously hadn’t included them enough in the process. We have spent more time outside just explaining what stage the plants are in and how the flowers will turn into fruit. Now when they talk about the garden I feel more confident that they have the general knowledge about the process of foods growing and ultimately knowing that they came straight from our backyard. No additives, and no harsh chemicals.
5. Problem Solving–
Let’s face it, most of our kids don’t need to solve their problems because us parents are right there doing it for them. This is one of the skills I struggle with when hiring new people into the large corporation that I work for. They don’t know how to step back and look at the problem differently, or get creative and overcome the challenge. Including our children in the process of overcoming simple challenges will help them build that skill. Something so simple such as “Wow, our watermelons are growing all over the place, what can we put up so that the watermelon vine can grow up rather than out?” Other simple garden challenges could be wilting leaves, bugs, plants not sprouting. So many opportunities for lifelong experience here.
6. Patience, Patience, Patience –
This is an area that I still as an adult try my hardest to master. In gardening you absolutely have to have patience. I cannot tell you how many times I have pulled up a plant thinking it must be done, and unfortunately it still needed a month or two more. Garlic.. It takes about 9 months for garlic to grow! Who has that kind of patience? Not me.. I pulled it up in month 6 and it had to be chucked right into the compost. Allowing your kids to witness the process and understand the benefits of waiting for the right signs and being ok that it takes months for some plants to bloom while other plants are full cycle in a couple of weeks. It is all worth the wait!
7. Gratification of Their Work –
Playing right off of having patience, we all need a reward for our hard work! The most excitement I get from my children in the garden is when I allow them to pick the veggies! From green beans to large squash, it’s another educational point to teach them how each vegetable gets harvested. We like to call it Garden Treasure! And boy do they look proud when they find it!
8. More Likely to Eat the Food That They Helped Grow–
I always wonder if other children are as picky as mine. I hear many parents talking about it but I always hear about those kids who just eat anything. They will try new foods and be honest about if they like it or not. I most likely had a negative impact in this area on my children. I am a texture person and if I don’t think the texture looks appetizing, it is hard to build up the will to try it. I have been doing much better (in my 30s) to not act like a two year old and just try things. I did notice that having my children be part of the growing process has helped them be a tad bit more adventurous. They have seen it grow, so it’s not scary and icky. They can at least give it a try!
9. Exercise –
Natural exercise without designating rules to a game or doing a workout. Our kids need to be outside more and moving more. Doing activities, working their muscles, and for those who have crazies running around – they need to burn that energy so that we can all sleep at night! I love when my kids get involved in some of the harder jobs like tilling up the land or digging holes for new plants. If I can keep them naturally moving, their health can only be improving.
10. Family Time –
I love my garden the most when I see everyone in it. Whether they are helping out, or just searching for growing treasure, having all of us together in nature just makes my heart smile. It feels like an ongoing family project that just keeps getting bigger. Any time that we are away from electronics and outside enjoying the air, and green leaves is a great day together.
Leave a comment telling us what inspires your kids in the garden!
