Hard work Pays off in the End

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. 

Philippians 2: 14-15 

Raising kids is hard! Honestly, you can read all the parenting books you want, but really there is nothing that will tell you exactly how to raise YOUR children.  Each and every child is different, but I feel like they learn things from the adults in their lives.  

Many of our consumers here at the farm notice how well mannered, outspoken, and entrepreneurial our boys are.  The two older boys recently each purchased their own dirt bikes with their own money, and they also have made other small purchases of things that they want with their money. They work hard for their money.  Yes, we actually do pay the boys for the work they do.  They also help a neighbor, mow grass, and they find odd jobs to do that they can earn money.  

Now if I am being honest, we didn't know that our methods of parenting would help shape the boys into hard working kids, and honestly Garrett is getting to the age where he may start to resent all the farm work.  I know that I sometimes felt the farm work took away from me being with my friends.  I know those days are slowly creeping in and I want to be aware of it before it comes, because I know they enjoy the farm and seeing the end results of their hard work; so for them to get to the point where they resent it is something I am striving to avoid.  I know there has to be be balance between work and play.  I know there has to be time for them to expand their creative minds and let them grow as individuals.  I know that they need that down time and time to socialize, but really they are learning these things from those of us around them.   

I often get the questions myself of how I manage all the things that I do or when do I sleep or eat.  Well to be perfectly honest I have a real passion for what we do here and when I show that to the boys it reflects on our daily work.  I am not always perfect and some days are harder than others, but if they see us wanting to be the best farmers then it comes out in the way they approach their daily tasks. I enjoy watching them do new things each and every day, and I certainly enjoy seeing their work ethic come out each and every day.  As we have started the new journey of raising a new farmer once again, I can only imagine that he too will have the same work ethic as his older brothers.  He already looks up to them and enjoys his "chore" time already.  He loves spending time with daddy on the tractor or mommy in the field.  Either way he is already apart of the daily operation of the farm and I think that is how it all started.  Each boy started out the same way.  They were always apart of what was happening.  Garrett and Logan would sleep in the tractor as  hay was baled, they were in the fields helping and learning from a young age and during that time we explained to them that the more they grumbled and complained the longer the job took.  

I can only hope that as we begin the journey into pre-teen we remember to keep that center of balance that Garrett will need, but the firm reminder that the job he does is an important one because as farmers we are feeding the people in this world and our footprints might be small here PA but overall it is making a huge impact.  So just like I tell the boys, the verse above reminds us that the hard work you put into something pays off in the end with often times so much more than you realize. Don't ever think that the impact you are making is a small one, it is often bigger than you think. 

Always Farming with Faith & Family! 

God Bless, 

Amanda