Old-Fashioned : The Joy of Simplicity
Look, let’s get something straight right from the start. I don’t have my parenting act together enough to tell anyone else how to raise their kids. I’m not the mom who plans elaborate themed birthday parties or has matching outfits for Christmas photos. I haven’t done a Christmas card in five years, and if you show up at my house looking for fun snacks.
I am emphatically not one of the cool moms.
So imagine my confusion when photos of our kids doing completely normal farm kid things started getting more engagement on Instagram than my carefully curated homestead content. People were losing their minds over pictures of my kids building forts out of scrap lumber and hauling around a refrigerator box that they’d turned into alternately a covered wagon, a cabin, and a rocket ship.
Apparently, letting your kids get dirty and build things is now considered radical parenting. Who knew?
How We (Accidentally) Started Raising Old-Fashioned Kids
Here’s the thing: I didn’t set out to raise old-fashioned kids on purpose. This whole thing happened by accident, mostly because we live in the middle of nowhere and childcare is basically nonexistent out here.
When the kids were little, they came everywhere with us because we literally had no other choice. Mesa got bundled up for morning milking because there was no one to watch her. Bridger went to the barn in a jogging stroller at five days old because the animals needed care and babies are portable. Sage has been trying to keep up with her farm-raised siblings since she could walk.
Was it convenient? Absolutely not. Putting tiny boots and mittens on three kids every morning is a special kind of torture. But as they’ve gotten older, they’ve become genuinely helpful instead of just… present.
Now Mesa and Bridger handle morning barn chores completely unsupervised. They feed chickens, check for eggs, move horses, and clean water tanks. After school and chores are done, I basically kick them outside and they disappear until dinner.
And here’s where it gets interesting: they love it.
When I call them for dinner, they come inside absolutely filthy, completely exhausted, and totally content.
The Mysterious Benefit of Dirt, Dust, & Animal Hair
I’ve been fascinated by all the research that’s come out recently proving what our grandparents never questioned: letting kids get dirty and spend time outside is crucial for their development.
Studies showing that rural kids exposed to animals and dust have stronger immune systems and better mental health. Research proving that unstructured outdoor play reduces ADHD symptoms. Evidence that being bored actually increases creativity.
We’re literally paying scientists to prove that the way humans raised children for thousands of years was actually the right approach. Meanwhile, we’ve created the first generation in history that spends most of their time indoors, scheduled within an inch of their lives, and entertained by screens instead of their own imagination.
Free Time Magic
Watching our kids during their unstructured outdoor time is like watching magic happen.
Is it perfect? Of course not.
But that’s just part of being a kid.
The confidence I see in my nine-year-old daughter when she handles a pushy horse or repairs a broken gate? The problem-solving skills my six-year-old son develops when he figures out how to move a heavy water bucket? The creativity they all show when they turn random junk into elaborate adventures?
Those are skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
How to Start Implementing an Old for Your Kids
People always ask me how to do this, and my answer is probably going to disappoint you:
Step 1: Kick them outside and leave them alone.
Step 2: Repeat tomorrow.
I’m only half kidding. Obviously you need to consider safety and your specific situation. But we seriously underestimate what kids are capable of when we stop micromanaging every moment of their lives.
Limit screen time. Not because screens are evil, but because kids who have access to infinite entertainment never learn to create their own.
Don’t fear their boredom. Boredom is where creativity comes from. When kids complain there’s nothing to do, resist the urge to immediately provide them with an activity.
Let them play. Unstructured, unsupervised, imaginative play where they make the rules and solve their own problems.
Give them real responsibilities. Not busy work, but actual jobs that contribute to your family’s well-being. My kids know their egg collection and vegetable harvesting directly impacts our meals.
Fight the urge to schedule them to death. Yes, activities can be valuable. But the most meaningful experiences happen during the unstructured time in between.
Look, I’m not saying everyone needs to move to a farm and start raising livestock. But every kid needs time to run around outside, get their hands dirty, and use their imagination instead of just consuming entertainment created by other people.
The goal isn’t to recreate 1955 exactly—it’s to give kids the experiences that help them develop into confident, creative, capable humans.
And if that makes us weird parents who prioritize dirt time over screen time, I’m completely okay with that. My kids will thank me someday, even if they’re too busy building forts to appreciate it right now.
Mr. Rogers said it best: “Play is the work of childhood.” Maybe it’s time we started treating it that way again.
Now if you’ll excuse me (the sexy ass mommy), I need to go find out why there’s a suspicious amount of giggling coming from the barn. That’s never a good sign, but it’s probably going to make for some excellent character development.
