A Simpler Way

Today my girl and I were enjoying a nice leisurely visit, with two of her four asleep and the other two at my house doing wood working with Grandpa. She was telling me about a book they are reading for school on pioneer life and although the life was so very hard it also brought families so very close together. This led into our talking about family life, hard work and bygone days.
We both realized how very hard that time was for families to make a life for themselves but how great the rewards as well. We contrasted it to current day and pondered on how to draw from the past and enrich our lives now. When I was growing up I was a latch-key kid and lived on t.v. but even as bad as that was the shows weren't like they are now. In today's society many children come home from school and sit in front of a t.v.,computer, video game or some other electronic game; never interacting with any one in the family. The statistics on this are staggering and so very sad. Of course there are many who have chosen a different path for their families and their children; I am blessed that my daughters and their husbands do not have cable or satellite dishes and the children are very limited, very limited, in what type of movies they may watch. Movies are a family affair and the children all have rich full imaginations. Please do not take this as a condemnation for choices others make for their children. As we talked we also looked at many families who work the land, live off the land, homeschool and don't have their children in social settings but the children learn to live, play,work, love and have fun with their family. We discussed Mennonites as well as Amish and those who farm or ranch; these children and families learn that they can have fun along side each other and that they don't need outside stimulus. Many would argue with me that these children will be misfits but if you study the homeschool movement you will see that these children are leaders and not prone to pier pressure. It made me think that for many less is more and hard work builds character. It made me hunger for a simpler way of life.