I kept all the information pamphlets the doctor gave me about my child's milestones and when they should be reached. I read all the books about how to teach my child and what to teach them. I went to all the Kindergarten meetings, where a woman with a college degree in early childhood education told me what my child should know.
I was so proud when my daughter entered kindergarten-- she knew all her letters, could count to 20, and could color within the lines. I had taught her everything she needed to know, just like I did her brothers before her. Sarah was 5 when she started school and was ahead of most of the other children. She was reading on a first grade level by the middle of the year. Even Sarah was taken back by how smart she was. I was a very proud mother, as all three of my children were doing well in school. They were all meeting or exceeding the expectations the school and I had for them. It wasn't until the middle of the year, when my dad's mother came to visit, that I learned that there was so much more than just reading and writing that I should have been teaching my children.
Most of my family still lives in Ohio, but when it was time for my parents to move, my Grandmother made the trip down here to help out. She declared herself babysitter since she wasn't able to do much lifting. My dad just had foot surgery and was limited on what he was able to do so that left my mom and my own strong back to do most of the work. We made trip after trip hauling boxes to the new house. We had been going steady for a couple hours when I became worried that maybe we should check in on grandma. My grandma was well into her 70s and I was worried that Sarah might have been a little more than she could handle. Sarah can be in two places at once, ask a million questions, cry when she doesn't get her way, and make the mess of 10 kids. When I came home to check on grandma and Sarah, I was shocked by what I saw! There sat Sarah with a pair of scissors and yarn everywhere. My grandma was sitting in the rocking chair knitting and Sarah was quietly handing her little pieces of yarn. My grandma didn't even really need the pieces of yarn, but Sarah thought she was helping make a blanket. My grandmother was shocked that Sarah didn't know what knitting needles were or that you could make your own blankets or that she could make her own pickles. These weren't things I had even thought about teaching her, but they were things she needed to know. In that small amount of time my grandmother changed how Sarah looked at things, to be honest it changed us all.
All my children knew was go to work, make money and spend money. If something were to happen right at that moment my children, as smart as they are, couldn't survive because they didn't know how to survive. They didn't know about growing a garden, raising animals for food, or how to make pickles. I, alone, couldn't teach them because I never learned. My mom knew very little because her mom didn't teach her. I started asking around and I was shocked by how many women and men didn't know how to do basic things like sew , can soup, grow vegetables, knit a scarf or raise a chicken. These were things that not so long ago were necessary to know. If as a woman you didn't know how to mend, cook and take care of the farm you were not a suitable wife. My mom and I made a promise to ourselves, my daughter and my sons to not only learn how to do these basic things but to teach them, so that one day they will be able to teach their children.
This past summer we had a big garden that the kids loved helping with. They loved picking the vegetables and then helping cook them. There is something so rewarding about sending your son out to the garden to dig up an onion to use with dinner. We made a hundred jars of pickles, We canned homemade soup and vegetables for the winter. We all planted different berry bushes and fig trees. This past fall we made our hats and scarfs instead of buying them. We are raising 6 chickens, 3 roosters 3 rabbits, and 2 turkeys. Not only has this learning experience been beneficial for the kids, but for my mother and me as well. We are now a team at this and we are now closer with not only each other but with the kids as well.
With each passing generation these basic things are disappearing more and more because they are taught less. Soon no one will know how to even make a jar of pickles. Just Pass your mom's jelly recipe down, plant a garden, can a jar of homemade soup, maybe even make a quilt together. If you really want to know what your child needs to know, put the books down and ask your grandma.
