Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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Hello all first off thank you all so much I'm overwhelmed by your kindness. You all backed up pretty much my exact thoughts. JOHN that was perfectly put I agree with everything you said we are one in the same. My father too worked and still works 60+ hours a week hes been an alcoholic for 20+ years because of it. He lost his wife (my mother) because he chose working over us. I can't think of 1 memory with him and guess what tw irony of it is? He is still in about the same place as 20 years ago when he started with his company. No happier no richer and now no family. I would never want that with my daughter. I'm glad to spend every second with her. I also agree with the statement on it's harder off grid with kids because you don't get alone time. But it's just my wife daughter and I and it has been like that so we haven't had a day apart since she was born and she's 2 now so that part is no issue because it's what we do now she co sleeps with us and she's always on the farm with us so no concerns their we also have never had a t.v or any of that so she isn't going to miss anything. It's just such a confusion now a day. I know well or atleast I thought I knew what's right and that's spending time with your family working together for your own needs and just simply living. Not slaving away 60 hours to send your kids to daycare to never see them at all but that's how society wants people to think is the "right" way to raise your kids to be good little consumers. Myself personally feel something deep in my soul that I can't live in today's society I feel it's wrong in every way not because I'm
Lazy and don't want to work. Self sustaining off grid farms in my opinion is the wisest thing to do. If everyone did this then their wouldn't be any homeless any without food and everyone could live happy and one with nature. But then again you have your family and pressure all around telling you that's just hippy stuff you need to grow up. After reading all this it eased my worries although I was very confident my daughter would be fine considering we work on an organic farm now and she hates being indoors so she could care less about the materialistic things she would rather play on the garden or with the animals. Although the place I mentioned in the topic fell through unfortunately, we are still making the move off grid by the summer and all of this helps tremendously. Ideally would like to find a place with other families that do the same I would love my daughter growing around like minded children and id like to be around like minded individuals. But that's just hopes and dreams. I appreciate everyone that responded! Thank you ! Namaste |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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That seems a bit far fetched but there is that woman in FL who was in court over being off-grid so you never know! Steve, what's the location of your new off-grid homestead? (consider adding your location to your profile). |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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John, that was a great response!
I was wondering about folks who might call child sevices. Amazing how some folks turn to the government to punish other people. The Nazi's used the same tactics. |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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Steven I fully support the direction you're taking. If you are looking for more positivity, support, and like mindedness, checkout: http://www.unconventionalparents.com/
We created this website for other like minded "unconventional parents." |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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i worked with a gal a while back - before i met her she was a single parent, living off-grid, in a jungle, home-schooling 2 kids and raising a baby
those 3 kids were incredible the question, in my opinion, is not whether living off-grid is detrimental to kids, but rather the other way around when they have access to all the 'technology' to keep them 'entertained' |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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Hey, I can reply to this.
I feel ya. 3 years ago we moved half way across the country with two kids (six and eight) to find some property. The first place we went was property found online and it was off grid woods. Certain relatives said we were crazy doing that with/to two little kids. Those same people firmly believe that we should each have full time jobs (at least) and bustle the kids around to and from day care, after school activities etc etc. All so we can buy a house in a subdivision, make payments on two cars (forever) and in general, become awesome American consumers living in our perfect little built world, safe and sound and immune/oblivious to what happens elsewhere in the world. Gots ta keep up with them jones' you know. Yeah right. My Dad worked two jobs all his life. I barely knew the miserable man. Of the three people who were against our plan, all three have been through divorces. The most outspoken one is on marriage #4. How's that for normal and stable. One has actually had a change of heart and told my wife she thinks we're smart for learning how to live this way because she sees the writing on the wall. I have no idea what it's in regards to. economy, environment, political, peak oil etc. Maybe all of the above. We're at a different property now. After two years we finally found the one. We actually have neighbors here including a couple of kids about the same age as ours and we get along with all the neighbors. It's still not a subdivision. It's just not my thing. There's electric running down the road and we've been here a year but still haven't had power brought across. We do plan on it but don't see any reason to rush. In fact, the path for elec has changed so I'm glad we didn't get it done right off. We've gotten used to living with 305 watts of solar, rain water and humanure. My wife had a part time job for a while and I had an offer to work at the farm across the road and I'm about to take him up on the offer. Meanwhile, I've picked up a bit of work here and there. Our kids are well behaved and we get compliments on their behavior. They're not awkward though they were a little shy with the neighborhood kids at first. It lasted about 10 minutes. We went through two major heat waves with no A/C including hoofing water for washing up a long steep hill from a creek. It was a morning job. We survived the heat waves and in the middle of the first one my daughter (she's the social one) one day said, "we live way better here than we ever did in FL". Back in FL we lived in a 4 bedroom house, with cable TV, with two TVs, internet, two cell phones etc. yet we all had our face in a different screen. The living better she was referring to was the fact that we spent a lot, ok all, our time together and passed the time with board games, playing cards and daily chores. Bit of a warning. If you have someone totally dead set against your plans, they may do something to try and stop you. It took us longer get head out than we thought and we had already had electric scheduled to be shut off at the 4 bedroom rental house. I didn't bother getting the shut off date pushed back. I had a big generator to run the well pump and water heater and we had the solar panels and small fridge to run on them. Well someone called the division of children and family services on us saying we had no running water or refrigeration. When the person came out to investigate, I turned the faucet on and hot water came out. The well tank has a bladder so the plumbing kept pressure quite a while without the gennie running. Then I opened the fridge and there sat cold produce and chicken and milk. Then she talked to the kids one at a time and basically found that the report was untrue. Grasping, she wanted my wife and I to pee in a cup even though the report said nothing about drug use. I told her to leave and that was the end of it. People are crazy and some can be very possessive and/or controlling. We're not sure who it was but only a few people knew the electric was shut off. We narrowed it down to two people. One my relative and one my wife's. Bottom line is, we're all healthy and happy. Before we were busy, busy, bust and not happy. We were drifting apart and I'm quite sure I would have turned into my father. Miserable sob. Meanwhile the naysayers, not so much. The system is killing people. Some quickly some slowly. Some may seem quite happy but watch them work their asses off and claw their way to the top stepping on everyone on the way. Nothing matters to them but "he who dies with the most toys wins". The system is also killing the planet. OP, and you were worried about your post being long. : 
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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The child will thrive without electricity, especially screens. Children do not need any screen time.
Do the parents have to do laundry by hand? Is she still in diapers? Do the parents share all chores? The only concern I would have is if the parents are stressed by lots of work. |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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I raised both of my kids off grid and if you're OK being a bit different, they'll be OK with it, mostly. My daughter did have a year when she really wanted to live in town with a yard. I think she was 5.When she was 7, she really wanted a "Hanukkah bush, and that didn't happen either.
They did watch too much TV for a while so the best thing I did was stop getting directTV. For a year, we only watched on weekends, then they started forgetting to ask to watch on the weekends so we canceled. My one regret is letting my mother get them iPods, they stopped reading non-strop. Being off-grid is way harder on the parent, IMO. |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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My family, and the others we shared land with, spent a lot of time in environments many people would consider pretty...unusual.
I know now that it was really hard work for the adults sometimes, not least dealing with people's attitudes. Us kids were oblivious and it was a totally fantastic way to grow up! We knew our fun came with responsibilities: I've got a great photo of my three-year-old brother grinding flour for bread...with no pants on. That boy did not like pants one bit 
When I was nine-ish, us kids built weatherproof huts and lived on the beach for what must have been weeks; fishing, foraging and swimming. We must have visited the grownups occasionally I suppose... |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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Livening off grid with a two year old no problem as they have lots of energy , a simple treadmill and all your electric generation issues are solved.
Seriously it's the quality of the parenting and adult interactions that count David |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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Quite a few of my friends have children that they are raising off grid. They're totally cool. The 6 and 7 year olds go to public school and know that they're not living like everyone else and everyone roles with it. The toddlers are as happy as can be and blissfully ignorant that there is any other way to live. Some neighbors/family friends of mine raised their kid off grid for the first 14 years until some discord came into the relationship - now he's 16, has electricity, and is a computer fiend. But still an awesome kid.
Off grid with a 2 year old? Totally. Go for it. |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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Steven, Most of my relatives are from large rural farms in South Dakota. Some of their kids still go to "one room school houses". Larger nowadays but real community.
So I think you will not be alone, go for it! |
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Subject: Off grid with a 2 year old?
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| Hello everyone I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right place if not someone let me know. Anyways here's the thing I'm about to live off grid I've had the plan for some time now and an opportunity arose for my family an i to do so. Well My wife and I have a 2 year old daughter ,we live on a farm now she's always outside loves animals all that. My concern is do you think living off grid has a negative affect on children? Now my answer is no I think it's actually quit the opposite. Of course we would have her in activities in the nearby town and where we are going she will be well socialized. But then on the other hand I have society forcing opinions down my throat and it seems nows a more confusing time more than ever on what's right or wrong. Now to me working 60+ hours a week for a company that doesn't care about you doing something you hate and being away from the ones you love seems crazy to me. I have done it for a number of years and my soul doesn't feel satisfied. I think working together as a family and growin your own food taking care of your own animals as a team and spending quality time with each other in nature now that seems more like a life worth living and not wasted. Now I'm not lazy and I'm not doing this because I don't want to work I'm doing this for the evolution of my family in a better direction. But then you have society saying if you don't have a job and do it their way your not successful and though i know better than to get lost in their illusion and I tell myself not to listen to the non sense but when your around so many sheep all day it's hard to not think to yourself atleast once hmm are they right do you really have to work your life away in their system to be successful? Now I know theirs no wrong paths in life theirs just differant paths. What I'm getting at is I just need some positivety my way before the move. Thanks for reading sorry so long. Namaste | |