About this time every year I get that itch. I start poring over mail-order catalogs, and the garden center at Lowe’s becomes a near occasion to sin. I love digging and planting, watching shoots spring up and morph into flowers and fruit-bearing plants.
Last spring, though, I was completely overwhelmed by caring for a three-month-old and his three older siblings. I wrote off gardening altogether in 2012–and it was just as well, since we ended up in the worst drought in fifty years.
But this year, I think it’s time to introduce my children to the garden. Here are ten reasons why:
- Work ethic. When I was a kid, we had a huge garden, and we froze or canned most of our own vegetables. I loathed the two hours a day I was required to spend in the garden on summer mornings, but it’s borne much fruit in adulthood.
- Structure. Whenever the kids are home the “I’m bored” mantra makes its appearance. In my house they start whining for a movie early in the day. But if we put a structure in place, it makes the days smoother.
- Sense of accomplishment. Seeing the result of our own efforts is a lesson kids need.
- Better food. Anything we grow for our own consumption is a known quantity. We’ll know what chemicals we are (or aren’t) exposing ourselves to.
- They need it. The book Last Child in the Woods made it ponderously, overwhelmingly, beyond-argument clear that we are wired to be out in creation, physically in contact with the world, not tied to smart phones and computers and game consoles. Our bodies, our minds and our emotions work better when we interact with nature.
- Appreciation for beauty. It’s easy not to notice the beauty lying all around. Nothing gets you paying attention more than being involved yourself.
- Learn to recognize God’s hand at work in creation. ‘Nuff said.
- Stewardship of Creation. “Green” is a big topic these days, but it’s not just a secular issue. Part of our call as Christians is to be stewards of the earth. If our children invest themselves in the natural world, they’re more likely to realize they have a responsibility to it that goes beyond the garden and beyond childhood, from driving habits to consumption habits.
- Learning to partner with God in bringing life into the world. You can’t just throw seeds anywhere; you have to plant judiciously: a dogwood will scald in full sun and a rose won’t bloom at all in the shade. If we’re to be successful, we have to work with what God put in place. This has implications for teaching about the way we “plant” life in adulthood, too.
- I need to see the world through my children’s eyes. I see the world differently when I experience it as they do: something new, and exciting, and holy.
What lessons have you or your kids learned by digging down and getting your hands dirty?
Kathleen writes at her personal blog, So Much To Say, So Little Time, about life at the intersection of faith, family and the written word. She is convinced that every issue touches every other, and that faith must be at the heart of them all.
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I feel that it bring us closer to God and his creation also!
I feel like I’m doing what Adam’s job was, every time I work in the garden. I feel peaceful. I also think it teaches children (and their parents!) how to enjoy small moments, and tiny changes, and the simple things: sunshine, bare feet in the dirt, the smell of tomato vines, a surprise butterfly that lands on your rake while you’re working.
We had a catbird one year that would sit on the ground next to me, two feet away, whenever I turned the soil. He would snag juicy critters that I exposed and take them to his nest. We became good friends that year. How can you beat that?
Your post makes me very joyful!
I completely agree. We have always had a garden with our little ones, but this year since we’re selling our house, we decided not to do it and I am looking for alternatives just for the reasons you listed. Primarily, I think our kids need to see God’s role in providing what we eat and to teach our kids how to grow their own foods. Thanks for inspiring me to do more!!