Growing up in the country provides children with many benefits over city life. While some parents may worry that their kids may miss out on things by living in the country, there is much more to gain by stepping apart from the busyness of the city and into the rhythms of nature than there is to lose. Here is why you should feel good about giving your kids the greatest gift—a childhood growing up in the country.
Kids Naturally Learn About Safety
Being exposed to swimming holes, equipment like tractors and ATVs, and livestock are part of life on an acreage. With those fun experiences comes prime opportunities to teach kids from an early age about how to handle emergency situations and how to be safe around potential hazards. Kids who grow up in a rural setting naturally develop a better understanding of how to be safe and can share that information with their urban friends as they get older.
Small Town Values
Growing up in rural America helps to instill a strong work ethic. There is always something to do on an acreage, giving kids the opportunity to learn how to work hard and put in long days alongside their parents. Many projects around the acreage turn into family time, and kids learn other important values like finishing what you start, honesty, helping neighbors, and gratitude.
Farm Life Supports Good Health
Growing up eating food that you have grown yourself is certainly a healthy choice. Having access to acres of space to run and play means country kids have no problem getting in their daily exercise. Scientific studies have even shown that growing up in rural areas means that kids may have fewer hypersensitivities and allergies as well as better mental health.
Circle of Life
If you have animals on an acreage, there is a good chance that eventually, one of them is going to have offspring or cross the rainbow bridge to the other side. When children grow up around animals, not only do they learn to value life in general, but they also get to witness the fragility of life and learn to have compassion for those who are nearing the end of their lives. These powerful lessons will serve them well later in life and in their interactions with others.
Watching Things Grow
Living in rural America, it can be a lot more fun to watch kids and crops grow than the hustle and bustle of the city. It also teaches kids that food does not come from the grocery store. Kids getting to help plant a vegetable garden, picking fruit from trees, and learning that the pig will one day be bacon in the freezer are excellent ways for them to gain an appreciation for agriculture and the hard work that goes into raising all types of food.
Enjoy that campfire and smores with your kids. Let them help feed the animals. Teach them how to plant flowers and pick tomatoes. It is a lifestyle that not all children are lucky enough to have. For more information on topics related to rural living, subscribe to AcreageLife today.
