Raising Great Children in the Country

in Animals on the Farm

If you're no stranger to this website you'll know why I've devoted an entire section to country kids.

You'll also know that I began my daughter's life and this website, by leaving my fast-paced, high-stress life in a big city, behind.

Rather personal this story, but she was six days old and in a stroller - I took a look around at the world I'd be raising her in and said "No way."

A month later we were heading for the hills.

Country Children - A Gentler Start

Every so often I'll spot a newspaper for my old city and be shocked at the headlines. Sometimes, if I have enough time or energy to sit myself down in front of the idiot box (television) I'll catch a glimpse of the evening news.

Both of these situations make me shudder. I wonder what happened to my old stomping ground. What could have happened that turned Toronto the Good, onto a town where children where involved in drive by shootings and gang wars?

Moving Your Children Out of the City

I'm not making any judgment calls here. Not everyone can just pack up and get their kids out of Dodge City like we could. In fact, it was rather easy for me as I came from a history of moving around a lot. I realized young that you can make friends anywhere, you can make do without your favorite restaurant, you can live out of a suitcase for a month if you have to, and you can figure the whole mess out when you arrive.

Veronica is 13 as I write this. I wonder about my old friends' daughters and who they are today. I wonder about the differences between them.

Being raised in the country didn't afford my child the luxury of 'being a kid longer'. She was street smart (even though we have no streets here, we have roads) by 5.

 She was world traveled by 12.

She's had to deal with deaths, and seen live births.

She knows first-hand the animals that gave their lives for her as she sits down to dinner. And she understands the work involved in growing her own salads.

The only stress she's been spared is to fear for her life or safety on her way to school every day.

Country Kids Aren't Immature or Ignorant of How the World Works... 

Thirteen years ago I was chastised by friends. "You can't take her out to the country! She'll turn out dumb as a stump, without culture, and easy prey when she finally leaves the country..."

In retrospect I'm not entirely certain why I thought the people who said those things were 'friends'.

As for Veronica: Nicely mannered girl. Thirteen and the worst swear word to come out of her mouth is 'frig'. Two percentage points shy of being an honor student last year (and that's after being home schooled for the first part of her education). She's been to Africa now, Puerto Rico, France, Italy, Spain and, of course, the USA.

Culture? I wouldn't have been able to take her on those trips had I continued living in the city with my high mortgage payments.

Dumb? I wouldn't have been able to give her those years of home schooling (which I fully believe in) had I stayed in the city.

Easy prey? I think not. You'd just have to meet her to know how laughable that one is! She's a strong and fiercely minded young woman, loaded with confidence and determination. Traits I may  not have been capable of instilling had I raised her in the city.

Is There A Difference Between City and Country Kids?

I'm not certain I could make that distinction, although I'm blessed to have raised her here. When it comes right down to it, I thin it is more about how you raise them, really, than where you raise them.