~guest post by MRS

Other than the fact that HandyMan and I both grew up in the country, we had very different childhoods. HandyMan grew up a farm kid, while I was simply a country kid.

I loved growing up in the country and have lots of fun memories from my childhood. My sister and I loved to play in the woods behind our house, make mud pies and build forts. I also enjoyed helping my mom bake cookies, however I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with my dad. My dad spent most of my childhood working in a factory 8-12 hours a day (usually at night) and then working his own business for several hours each day, sleeping when he got the chance. My dad set a wonderful example of being a hard worker and provider for my family, but the unfortunate result was that we didn’t get to see him very much and he missed out on a lot of our activities while we were growing up.

HandyMan had a very opposite experience. His dad worked full time on their farm, raising hogs and growing corn and soybeans. Although he worked long hours and worked very hard, he was never far from home. And from a very young age, HandyMan was able to go with his dad to work on the farm and “help” him with his daily chores. On the days that HandyMan wasn’t able to go with his dad, he was still able to see him off and on throughout the day when his dad would come in for lunch or stop in for a few minutes. HandyMan has very fond memories of his childhood growing up on the farm and helping his dad raise hogs.

Blue helped HandyMan during harvest last fall.

When HandyMan and I were pregnant with Blue, we made the decision for me to stay at home with Blue while HandyMan would continue working at his job as a carpenter an hour from our home and helping on the farm on evenings and weekends. After Blue was born, HandyMan had a hard time leaving him (and me) to go to work so far from home. He enjoys what he does, but he wants to be able to be closer to home during the day. HandyMan longs for the flexibility to go with me to Blue’s doctor appointments or to come home for lunch if he wants to. He wants to be able to take Blue with him to work ground or to haul grain. HandyMan wants Blue to have similar experiences as a child that he had.

Now that HandyMan and I have another baby on the way, HandyMan’s desire to work closer to home, ideally on the family farm is growing stronger. And so is mine. I never thought I would care that he was working an hour away, because that is what I knew from my childhood, but I do care. I would love for HandyMan to be closer to home, to have the flexibility to come home for lunch or take Blue with him to work on the farm.

Maybe HandyMan and I are romanticizing his childhood or idealizing what it’s like to really work full-time on his family farm. I don’t know. But I do know that we would love the opportunity to find out!