Since the pandemic started, the biggest challenge was finding ways to keep our kids from tearing the house (and each other) apart and to keep them from driving me insane.
Prior to all of this, my son was in elementary school and my daughter and I would head to the preschool where I teach. Our days had predictable routine which was, in some ways, nice.
When we were suddenly forced to stay home, we realized two things. First is that we were all exhausted and totally burnt out. We were so used to running from place to place, always hyper-focused on what came next, that we didn’t see how tired we had become. The second thing we realized is that we were all terribly disconnected, from each other and from the present moment.
What helped us with these two things, happened naturally, so to speak, and that was gardening. Spending day after day in our background gave us the inspiration and the time we needed to give our garden a facelift. We started with weeding our raised bed and planting new baby plants. Then, we got more adventurous, sprouting seeds in egg cartons, where we diligently watered and checked on each one throughout the day. Of course, this eventually expanded to a second garden bed and a variety of pots scattered throughout the yard.
We have learned a lot throughout this process of gardening. Our garden is FAR from perfect, we definitely made plenty of rookie mistakes in the beginning. We learned how to naturally deal with pests (a post on that coming soon), what plants grow well together, how to get the sweetest berries, and how to boost the soil.
But we have learned something far more profound, that the simple act of planting and growing stuff together is just what we needed to heal from the chaotic hustle and bustle of modern life.
I suppose this isn’t exactly a mind-blowing lesson, as the benefits of gardening have been studied and recommended in dozens of articles, not to mention common sense. However, as a parent with two very spirited young children, it was a life-saver. Gardening got my family outside, the perfect place for little ones to get their sensory and vestibular systems satisfied. We also ditched virtual school pretty early on when we saw that, through gardening, we were practicing math, science, even reading. We were also feeling healthier and calmer after hours of gardening work, which is probably the biggest benefit when your kids’ normal energy level is pure chaos.
We know that things will eventually return to normal, but when it does, we know that gardening needs to hold its place in our daily routine. Reconnecting with the earth has made us a better family, more in tune with each other and with the outdoors (adjusting our garden care to the weather is a good example of this). Plus, having delicious and nutritious food, right from our backyard, is just plain amazing.
I am a big believer, especially now, for children to grow something. That can of course be a big edible garden in the yard, but it can be some herbs in pots on a porch or even a few small succulents placed by a window. Working together and figuring out how to make things grow and stay healthy is a wonderful learning tool and an incredible family activity.
