Kids + Butcher Day: gentle exposure

I can absolutely relate to the hesitation that most parents feel to introducing their child to the task of harvesting and butchering at home. No matter the age, witnessing a life leaving this earth has an innate impact on a human being and there is a finite line that we walk in the decision to expose our children to the important reality of where our food comes from and at the cost of which it is acquired. Nonetheless, that importance is like a weighted saddle upon the shoulders of us all. Whether they decide to shop at their local grocery as adults, or whether they follow the footsteps of you and I in the endless wild outdoors, living by harvesting with our own hands, a life is lost to sustain another. The tomatoes on the vine and the potatoes plucked from the earth, have no difference in the expended energy and sacrifice as the chicken or the pig on the Homestead. teaching and guiding our children to understand the delicate and intrinsic balance of life versus sustainability is our cosmic duty.

I, too, was hesitant, I won’t deny. I worried about the impact. It may have on Fox. Whether he was too young or too vulnerable. I realize something quite quickly though, when I looked back at all of the things my son had accomplished at such an early age by way of scrolling through all of my old videos and photos and picking and tinkering at my brain. We have a nasty habit of underestimating our children simply because of their young age and of their small size. If there is but one piece of advice I could leave you with when it comes to introducing your children to things that make you uneasy wether that be a new lifestyle, hardships and hard lessons, new tasks, chores or responsibilities– and that would be this:

Let them surprise you

So if you’re wondering how on earth you’re going to do this. How you’re going to keep your emotions together, as well as guide your child through this life building experience of harvesting and butchering, I have a few ways I went about doing it and I would like to share them with you.

.01 HUNTING

Out in the field it’s neutral. Not to say that there won’t be emotions involved but, they will not be as highly charged as they would be with an animal that was cared for and loved and raised at home. Hunting is the perfect gateway into building resilience and understanding. It provides you with plenty of time and lack of pressure to be able to take really lean into explaining all of the why’s and the reasons behind the necessity in understanding that one life serves to sustain another. Out there, all of the questions can be answered, whether they are understood yet or not is not the point. It is by repetition and building ritual and honor around it all.

.02 START SMALL

You don’t immediately have to expose them to the actual harvest. Sometimes it’s easier to bring them in when the butchering is being done, perhaps even after the skinning or quartering. As they build up more resiliency and curiosity, you can invite them in for the actual harvest.

Also, lets say you are not a hunter ( yet )

I began starting small with my son at our home. I felt putting him in the presence of harvesting the more “cute and furry” animals as I would like to say, would probably be more impactful in a negative way then to start with flock animals. Now I know so many people are going to come for me in the comments when I say this but – chickens have less of an impact on the emotional brain than the large and small furry animals that children tend to get attached to a bit quicker. Yes, we do love our chickens and I am right there with you. We care for them so deeply and my son has named a few of them. But nonetheless, they seem to be quite easier and I would suggest starting with them.

.03 NEUTRALITY + VALIDATION

It’s easy to feel passion surrounding specific topics in our life and it’s also easy to fall prey to pressuring our children into finding the same value within the same things. Staying neutral and allowing them to make the decision in figuring out how they’re feeling about the things that are happening around them is extremely important in them discovering their true selves. As parents we have to be so comfortable with the fact that they may not find value in the same things that we do. Nonetheless, their lives with us our their lives, and we will continue to live by our passions and if they decide to include themselves, then that’s wonderful. If your child does not want to participate, you have to be OK with this. Sometimes modeling a core value or belief is much more impactful and powerful than a forced behavior.

VALIDATING the hardness of butcher day is equally as important. Just because someone hunts or raises meat on their land, does not mean that we do not feel the same emotions bubble beneath the surface as anyone else who is exposed to a life leaving this earth. Checking in with your kid as things are moving forward and noticing when they’re starting to feel uncomfortable is another key factor in making this a bit more smooth. Validating your own emotions out loud helps them to understand and label theirs.

“Yes, this is a little sad. It makes me sad too sometimes”

“This is a very hard thing to do even though it’s necessary, I’m so proud of you for deciding to try it out”

“They were a great animal, I’m so grateful for them in feeding our family”

.04 HONOR

One thing that has really pushed my son into appreciating butchering, is the ritual and honor that surrounds the event. After an animal is harvested, we pray over that animal. We show our appreciation and deep gratitude for the fact that this animal has given its life to keep me and my family alive. My son has witnessed my husband and I praying over the animals many times in his life since he was young. At times it is lengthy, at times it is not but there is always emotion involved unapologetically. I usually do cry when I’ve taken an animal while hunting out of the pure spectrum of emotion that you feel in that moment. Gratitude, Sadness, Happiness, Overwhelm. I display it proudly.

We may also pre plan meals around the animal that we are butchering previous to harvesting the meat as well as finding articles and new ways of utilizing even the strange bits so that nothing goes to waste and we show honor in that as well.

If your kids or anything like my son, sometimes explanations are seen as control or forced maneuvering and it can sometimes give you an adverse reaction contrary to what you thought was going to happen. Again, and I will never stop saying this, modeling is the strongest form of teaching.

I hope my experiences and suggestions help you on your journey through raising these tough and resilient beings.

As always, feel free to comment and start a conversation or message me direct here or on instagram @thewildwoven