To move forward in life , every tike must begin to acquire from the second of creation , growing and changing until we thrust ourselves out into the humankind .
As parent , we also develop with every child , shifting from the “ boil everything ” phase to the “ 5 - second formula ” phase . It ’s not that we do n’t care about the welfare of our late offspring — quite the opposite . We simply learn through our exercise children that we can not protect them from the dangers lurking behind every corner .
WhenAaron , No . 2 in the line - up , was about 4 or 5 , he found a wounded butterfly in the backyard . He pleaded with me to fix it . Like most mothers do , I put my nurses ’ cap on and set up a reclamation home ground for the poor butterfly stroke . We draw a 5 - gallon bucketful with various grasses , stem and blooming and then covered it with a screen . For three days , my son pose and watched the little butterfly , making indisputable it had piss and fresh greenery daily .
Finally , venerate we would soon find the little matter dead in this bucket , I decided to give up it back into the world . At least there it could die in peace and not under my Son innocent eye . Aaron and I took the bucketful outdoors and removed the screen top . The butterfly , sensing freedom I assume , made its way up one of the branchlet to the pail brim . teeter there momentarily , it made a rickety attack to take flight . It was almost successful , too ! alas , it was in that moment that our cat came barrel out the opened back door , leap into the air , catch that poor butterfly stroke midflight , and ate him .
As homesteaders , we are fortunate to see the constant phylogenesis of ourgardensandfarm creature . We suffer in awe at the seed that pushed and shove its way through the crap . It stands tall , face the sun , leaves capable to get heavens waters until of a sudden it blossoms , accept the fruit of its British Labour Party as a talent to us . As a bonus , Mother Earth see her selection by bringing forth moreseeds , and the process begins again .
I think sometimes we , the homesteading community , forget why we started down this itinerary to begin with . We get caught up in the specifics of the right ways verses the wrong ways to engraft our gardens that we block , or overlook , the basics . come , dirt , water , sun . source , dirt , weewee , sun . We become so preoccupied with every likely risk , we can lose sight of our introductory goal : simplicity .
I once inquire my granny how she seemed to be capable to grow anything . Her reply , “ I stick it in the grunge . If it grows , it ’s a well blot . If it does n’t , I move it ! ” Oh , OK !
So what happens when you combine an evolving parent with a tyro homesteader ? masses like me . tight - forward eight age from the “ Death of a Butterfly , ” add two more children , and move the location from the city to the country . While the characters are the same , the account is much different . Sure , I still take in injured critters , but we are all begin to clearly see the individual roles we play in the larger presentation .
Last year , my 8 - year - old , No . 3 on the team roster , had a recycling project for school . He needed to make a poster showing a canonical recycling practice , as well as its direct and indirect effect . He testify a chicken laying anegg , the family line then eating that egg , and finally the eggs scale being either put in thecompost binor crumple up and fed back to the chicken . His direct force covering showed strong chicken from their additional calcium ; his indirect route indicate plants maturate from the compost poop and then give to the wimp . I assist him with cutting and gluing , but the concept was his own . He had originally wanted to have “ family eating the chicken ” as part of the overall process , but I thought it might have been a scrap much for his fellow 2d graders !
As a parent , I am always concerned with my tyke ’s physical and emotional well - being . But as a squatter , my views of the human race have switch — many of them anyway . I am see thing as part of a cycle now ; part of a process . This procedure will continue whether I step in or not . I must remember I am the student . It is my job to learn by observing . I am not reinventing the cycle ; I am simply applying the principle nature is seek to instruct me . Sometimes I will be successful ; sometimes I wo n’t . Sometimes I just want to stick it in the grunge and see if it grows .
As a urban center parent , I was mortified that my child had to see such a vicious attack on his beloved butterfly stroke . As a homesteading parent , I see the butterfly as a author of food for thought for the feline . I see the prey versus piranha human relationship . ( Truth be told , in both intellect hardening I am secretly laugh my butt off , even eight age by and by ! )
It ’s our caper as parents to teach our children we are all a part of a cycle ; part of a process that is ever changing and growing . We can not foresee every danger , but we can not be paralyse by them either . Of of course , we teach them the rudiments — wash out your hands , brush your teeth , do n’t track chicken poop through my house — but we ca n’t boil everything in their life .
Sometimes we want to remember this in our garden , as well . We can learn about all the various method of growing and planting , and we should , but we ca n’t allow it to keep us out of the dirt all together . Rachael Brugger drop a line about this very thing last calendar week in her blog Wiley Post “ Trust Yourself . ” We can get very overwhelmed with all the details , but do n’t let that intercept you from being a “ farming whiz . ” ( I love that aspect ! )
To her sentiment , I add my own : We are forever exchange , forever develop and everlastingly learning , but the BASIC will forever be the same : Seed . Dirt . Water . Sun .
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