Why every kid needs to spend a summer in Kentucky (or any rural countryside)

When the pandemic hit in early 2020, our family was happily living in Colombia. The problem was, since we live in an apartment, the quarantine quickly became a prison. The schools closed and the country enacted a strict, total lockdown in March. My children were not even allowed to take a walk down the street, and we were going stir crazy within days. Colombia proceeded to enact one of the longest and most extreme lockdowns in the world. By May, we were all out of our minds.

Finally I made a hard decision. We decided to use a humanitarian flight to return to the States to weather the lockdown on my parents' farm in Kentucky. The decision was difficult because we had to leave our Papi (my husband), Firo. His store had been closed for three months and he had lost his employees, so he could not possibly leave his retail stores when they started to open back up. So we said goodbye to Papi, packed our summer clothes, and crossed back into the northern hemisphere, where we were greeted once again with something that resembled freedom. I am so grateful for the time we spent there in the countryside with my parents.

The great outdoors

After raising my children in apartment buildings for nine years, I had rarely experienced the joy of letting them run free in the great outdoors. My parents own 50 acres of undeveloped land deep in the hills of the Kentucky countryside. As soon as we arrived, my children went feral. They roamed the hills, explored the forest, built a hideout, swam in the dirty pond, and generally reveled in the sheer untamed freedom of it all. After three months of imprisonment, it was glorious.

If your family, like mine, does not have the opportunity to raise children in an environment where they can run and play freely in the great outdoors, I strongly suggest you find similar alternatives during summer break. I'll go into more of the benefits of country life below, but suffice to say that even just a few weeks in the countryside can provide a child with new confidence in their own body and their own character. Animals can also be a big part of this process.

Raise some ducks, or at least a chicken

My parents' farm (OK, it's not really a farm but there is plenty of land and animals, so I think the word fits) is home to a variety of animals. Besides the usual farm dog and barn cats, they have two horses, a few geese, and the most adorable chicken coop you ever did see. My kids enjoyed helping to feed the animals, groom the horses, collect the chicken eggs, and generally interact with the animals on a daily basis. The most incredible experience involving animals, however, was the ducklings.

Shortly after we arrived, my Momma, or Mimi as my children call her, took the kids to buy baby ducks. Oh my sweet joy, they have rarely been happier. Their faces beamed with  delight as they held their new squirming, peeping ducklings. The days that followed were filled with fuzzy wonders as the children learned to care for their little ducks. They fed them, helped to clean their enclosure, and gave them lots of splashy baths. The ducks began to follow them everywhere, and I'm not sure I've ever seen anything cuter.

Besides the cuteness factor, the ducks gave Luna and Noah a new sense of purpose. They had to make sure the babies were fed and watered. And before they could take the babies out to "play with them", they had to finish their chores and homeschool activities for the day. My kids learned about the waking and sleeping cycles of the ducks, their feeding habits, how terribly messy they are, and what foods they like. (Ducks love both blueberries and worms, in case you were wondering.) They also learned a few things about life cycles.

It only took a month or so for the ducks to grow big enough to be released onto the pond. There, the young ducks met Mimi's geese, and it was love at first sight. The ducklings adopted the geese as their new parents, and forgot all about Luna and Noah. This was a bit hard for the kids to swallow, but they learned something about how God's creatures grow and adapt into the world they live in.

Then came the day when one of the young ducks disappeared. This is not unusual in the country. Ducks and chickens are prey animals, and have a notorious tendency to get themselves eaten. It was Daisy, Luna's duck, who fell prey to one of the local predators. My baby girl was devastated. We found some of her feathers and used them to hold a farewell burial ceremony. Luna kept one of Daisy's feathers as a memory. She was sad for weeks, but I think it was lesson in life, death, grief, pain, and healing. We prayed for strength and healing, talked a lot about Daisy in the days that followed, and with time, Luna's pain faded to a dull ache and some very special memories.

Noah's duck, Lucky, continues to quack and thrive on the farm, accompanied by her goose friends.

A little hard work

I was raised to work hard. I helped with chores around the house, helped to take care of my little sisters, and helped my Daddy with the outdoor chores as a child and teenager. My children, in contrast, live pampered, spoiled lives. Mimi and Papaw (my Daddy) did what they could to remedy this last summer. Caring for the ducks and collecting chicken eggs were only the first steps. Then my mom tasked them with collecting vegetables from the garden. They also helped to feed the animals, wash the dog, and groom the horses. All of these are worthwhile chores, but it was Papaw that introduced the kids to actual work.

The garden needed to be spread with mulch. Sticks needed to be collected from the yard. The horse shed needed painting. Papaw told the kids he would pay them $5.00/hour to help him with these chores, and it was hard work for my little city kids. To my amazement, they worked five or six hours straight with Papaw on several different occasions, and they got paid. For them, $15 is a lot of money (that's $56,000 pesos!), and they were thrilled to have money to spend. I was amazed at their newfound work ethic.

Other days, I bribed the kids with screen-time to help me with household chores as well, and felt gratified to see them scrubbing bathtubs, sweeping floors, and vacuuming. Since they don't have to do these chores in Colombia (where we can afford to employ a housekeeper), it surprised and impressed me that my kids were capable of such things. Living on the farm raised the bar for what I could expect out of my kids and what they could expect from themselves.

Good old American fun

Since we've been living in Colombia, we have tried to keep some of our American traditions alive. Carving pumpkins, hiding Easter eggs, and cooking Thanksgiving dinner are among the traditions that we make happen each year. But other things fall by the wayside, and I didn't even realize the loss until we spent the summer in Kentucky. We barbecued, celebrated Independence Day, and made cobbler. Outdoor activities like riding four-wheelers, fishing, and running through sprinklers were also thoroughly enjoyed, although these aren't necessarily American traditions. In essence, it simply warmed my heart to give my kids some of the amazing experiences that I so enjoyed while growing up in the States, and I think we created some important lifelong memories for the kids. I will forever be grateful to my parents for giving us the opportunity to provide our kids with a crash-course in country life, in what may have otherwise been the worst year of our lives. Thanks Momma and Daddy; we'll be back soon.