So, it's out there! We have a family!
I decided with the introduction of @crookedroadhome, you can find that here,
this might be a fitting time to share why we let this private area of our lives out.
But first, I think I should share why we kept it so hidden.
The first obvious reason was to keep the identity of the kids safe. That is still the goal. We don’t plan to post any pictures or videos of them.
The second reason is that we live an alternative lifestyle. We’re homesteaders, and soon to be roadsteaders. The American culture has a real nasty way of interfering with parenting choices, be that with opinions or with actual physical interference. We know we’re not doing anything wrong, but that won’t stop people who disagree from weighing in.
And lastly, we were holding onto a part of our lives that wasn’t up for public display. It was a way to separate the online world from our private world.
So why the heck would we offer them up now?
Ok…ok…that is a little extreme. No one is offering up anything, but it is still a valid question!
Here recently I was on a phone date with a dear friend from Wisconsin. While we lived in Kenosha, we spent almost every Friday for a whole summer having something we called Scone Friday. She would come over with her misfit tribe to play with mine while we baked, drank coffee and unleashed a week’s worth of spiritual girl talk.
It was fantastic.
So, while we were chatting the other day and I was updating her about our journey both online and with our RV, I posed a problem we were having.
Do we keep the kids private?
I should say that we’ve been so blessed so far. As we have met people like @thefarmerswife, @bowentroyer, @jonny-clearwater, our partner in crime @steemcafe with the Global Homestead Collective, @enginewitty, and so many others at the Nashville meet-up, everyone kept our kids out of the spotlight.
Not to mention, if anyone had been curious here on the blockchain, no one asked!
As my friend and I hashed this out, I also added one extra tidbit.
The Yeti and I have been asked to write a book about our lives and our journey into homesteading!
I’m so excited to get this going and done…but there lies one huge problem. There’s an entire side of us that we’ve held back from sharing publicly, but has such an integral part in everything we do.
How could I write a book and leave the kids out of it?
Well, just like any Scone Friday visit, she laid out some truth for me.
She said that God gives us children as a gift, not just for ourselves but as another way to show His light and His grace and His mercy. He gives them as a gift to the world.
I sat there just letting that sink in.
My job, as a mom, is protect them and to nourish them, to give them everything they need.
And yet, this idea made so much sense.
She also reminded me that I should never live in fear. Living in fear is the opposite of living for God.
After that conversation, I talked with the Yeti. He asked a few questions, we discussed new boundaries, then we let it sit.
About a week later I brought it up again and he shared how surprisingly calm he was about it.
If there was ever a fiercely loving, protective father, it is my husband. Of course, you’ve never seen this side of him…but I guess going at such great lengths to keep his kids private shows you more than any of my words could.
So, as the Crooked Road Home started to be born and the RV sat in our driveway, we knew it was time. With a little trepidation on my part, we made our introductory video and shared it with everyone!
So now I can share that we have an Artist, an Inventor and a Dreamer.
Although the last two do not have Steemit accounts yet, our oldest, the Artist, does! You can find his photography and freewrites at @thegreatdayne!
You got a plankton sized upvote from @worksinsane because your post appeared in the We Curate quality post search tool. It is a web art thingy thing that searches posts which fulfill predetermined rules. Upvoting isn't automated, @worksinsane reads posts before upvoting.
For more information read the latest post: https://steemit.com/wecurate/@worksinsane/we-curate-7
Thank you!!
❤️❤️❤️Excited for you! Prayers for smooth transition for all of you! 🙏
Thank you!! ❤
Sounds like you got good council! I'm sure everything will work out for HIS glory in your adventures!
Also are you going to be like @thfarmerswife and @bowentroyer in that if you ever do mention one of the kids that you will refer to them as either...Artist, Inventor, or Dreamer?
Thank you!! Yes, that is the plan!
This news is so bittersweet. I fully respect the choice you made for your family. I’m a big believer that parents can and should decide what’s best for their kids.
But on the flip side, I’ll be honest, I didn’t follow you two as much because I just wasn’t relating. My perspective of you two is now totally changed. Was it hard to not reach out to other parents and say, “I can relate to what you’re going through.”
It was hard! There were so many times I wanted share our stories to help, or maybe give a little insight because ours are older, but without people knowing we are parents, it would have just come off as pretentious. I definitely didn't want that.
Glad you sharing your gifts. Have accounts for my girls already and have been schooling them on crypto a little, but its still new territory. I think the more we involve the new generation, the better off the world will be for it😎
Thank you! Yes, I definitely think it is a new skill set! A skill set I should probably know better too! Haha
It's nice to know you have three kiddos, just like I do. But mine are grown up so I don't have to be as concerned about shielding them from the internet. I am actually glad I raised kids when I did, when life was more private and less complicated. I hope you enjoy your time on the road!
Yes, it is hard nowadays, fortunately we live a very simple life. We also live very intentionally...meaning we make it habit to make choices with thought. It's more work, and not always perfect, but I'd rather put the work into now than have to figure out what went wrong.
Oooh, that is really good thinking! I wonder if I did that when my children were small? I don't remember! LOL
Haha thank you! Well, at this point, if they made it as functioning adults, then I say job well done! Haha
By the way, will we get to read more about Lola while you are traveling around? (hint, hint)
Yes! It's been too long! I hope I can write soon!!
You have done a marvellous job of raising your kids out of the limelight. It is something I worried about too, how much do you share and how to keep the kids safe. Your friend is right. Children are God's gift to us. Living in fear is not a way to live. We don't let fear run our lives, but we don't take unnecessary risks either. I understand where you are coming from when you say others don't understand the alternative lifestyle and often frown upon it. These well-meaning people can cause families more harm than good. God bless you and the family on your new adventures!
Thank you so much! You are right about not living in fear, but not taking unnecessary risks. I'm trying to figure out how we're going to navigate this...we have boundaries in place, but we haven't implemented anything really yet, ya know?
No doubt in my mind! But you will. Just remember you are all on this adventure together, as a family. Our kids had as much input as we the adults did on our adventures. Work together as a unit and everything will work itself out the way it should.
I am not surprised! I kind of assumed you would have a family (not sure why, 'cos my wife and I don't have kids - just cats and dogs)! I am looking forward to reading about your travels (following your new @crookedroadhome). :)
Haha I was so curious to find out if anyone wasn't surprised! I feel like we look like the parent type LOL Maybe you knew instinctively because you are actually living it, while we were just covering it up! 😂
Thank you for following our new page!
I understand your fears. It's a jungle out there. I appreciate the fact that you've prioritized the sacredness of your family, and sometimes social media doesn't seem a worthy launchpad for the sacred. I hope not to use my child as a clickbait for upvotes, but I also see it from the perspective that they are the biggest blessing in my life- why shouldn't I declare it?
If you're ever in the Shenandoah Valley, you have somewhere to park your van and shower and eat with us.
Wow! Thank you!
I struggled with that too...making our kids clickbait...I didn't want to use them to gain attention and upvotes. I would see them do these amazing things and half of me would think that I wish I could share here and half would think if I shared I know it would have a lot of potential to earn. But is that really where I wanted to be as a mom? And the answer was always no. Now, I don't want this to sound like I think anyone who shows their children are only doing it to make money. That was just how my brain worked. I like our new boundaries of being able to talk about them and what they are doing, but leaving them anonymous.
I am so excited for you and your family. So many new adventures ahead!
Thank you!!