When you think about where you want to live as you raise your family, does the country life appeal to you? These moms shared what makes living away from the city so appealing, and why it’s a great place to raise kids.
Where you choose to live as you raise your family is an important decision. It can be based on where you yourself grew up or what values you have now as an adult, as well as how easily you can make a living where you are located. These moms share what it was like for them to grow up in the country, and explain why they prefer living outside the city limits with their brood.
Allure of the country
Rachel and her partner Scott relocated from Toronto to a small island in British Columbia around a year ago, where they run a farm completely off the grid — everything is run on solar or hydro power. “I think the biggest benefits for our kids will be learning compassion and empathy, as well as gaining a better understanding of where food comes from by seeing and participating in the life cycle of growing plants and raising livestock,” she shared. “While I think we’ll still make a concerted effort to travel as a family to a variety of places — including ‘the big cities’ — I can’t imagine a more perfect place to learn and explore with my kids than our little remote island.”
Freedom
Raising kids out “in the middle of nowhere” gives both you and them freedom that city kids don’t get to enjoy on a daily basis. Ashley D., mom of two, is raising her two kids on a Canadian farm where they make full use of their abundant privacy and freedom as often as they can. “‘Eat your supper and we’ll light off fireworks,’” is a phrase that she enjoys using. “Let me tell you how effective that is.”
Jessica is a mom of two who grew up in the country and wanted to raise her kids that way also, but it didn’t work out because they needed to find work that wasn’t available where they were. “I love not being able to see neighbors though, and having a small school where you know everyone in every grade,” she fondly remembered. “It seems so much safer and more wholesome to live, grow up and raise kids in the country. I’m totally glad I grew up that way, without the limitations and persuasions of the city.”
Limitations, but with hidden benefits
The biggest complaint moms who were themselves raised in the country gave us was that they were too far away from friends, but many saw the value as soon as they became parents themselves.
“When I was a kid I absolutely hated living in the middle of nowhere, I only got to see my friends at school because no one was in walking distance and our parents never wanted to drive us to see them,” explained Ashley C., mom of three. “Now that I’m the parent, I want to live in the middle of nowhere, I hate having neighbors, I just want privacy and quiet!”
Sarah, too, was raised in the country. “I spent a good chunk of years of my growing up on 20 acres of land,” she told us. “Though at the time, I lamented not having a neighborhood full of kids to play with and sidewalks to ride my bike on, I would’ve admitted even at the time that I dearly loved taking walks through our 15 acres of timber and I loved playing beside the creek… and seeing the timber line light up just after dusk with pairs of shining dots, knowing that those were coyotes, that was pretty darned special.”
There is plenty to consider before moving to the country, but you might be surprised to find how peaceful and lovely it can be.
Image credit: Ashley D.
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