Last week, we went to visit the farm of some friends who also have a young child. Frankie and her co-conspirator immediately got into some excellent mischief, digging around in a pile of finished compost and racing through a 3-foot stand of bolted arugula. Watching them play, I was reminded how full of adventure and wonder farm life can be and felt a small pang of shame for sending Frankie to daycare four days a week.
But then I remembered how much Frankie loves being around other kids and how much she revels eating snacks at school that we won’t give her at home. And I remembered how gratifying it is for Landon and me to fully commit ourselves to this job we love without dividing our attention between our daughter and our “baby”.
Finally, I remembered that parenthood, like farming, is full of equally good choices. The debates in farming around tillage or mushroom compost are not too dissimilar from the conversations people have about pacifiers or screen time or “crying it out”. People dig in their heels and pass judgement. I’m not saying that there are no wrong answers when it comes to farming or parenting–just that both jobs ask us to find solutions that fit and to have empathy for the road not taken.
So, on this Mother’s Day, I want to thank all the moms (both by birth and circumstance) who sometimes feel overwhelmed by all the choices and to remind you that you’re doing the best you can. And that’s plenty.