I bought a tractor for the new land about a month ago. My daughter took a lot of interest in it and is picking up distance safety and how to help out on the ground without being in danger zones and always being visible. She loves it and loves being involved in the work. And I love that she loves it. So, I’m keeping the momentum going by converting my 10-year-old riding lawn tractor into her first tractor. The seat switch was bypassed, the brake start was bypassed, throttled down, and the seat moved all the way forward. She’s off!
Before the safety Karens jump in; this is not dangerous. It is throttled down, and when you take your foot off the forward position, it stops on its own. I think this is teaching responsibility. I tell my daughter every time she asks for something that she can have whatever she wants for the rest of her life….so long as she earns it. If she wants to continue to use her tractor, she needs to treat it with respect and earn the responsibility of using it.
Another approach I’ve found empowering for her is to stop telling her to be careful and start saying to trust her mind and body. When I told her to be careful doing something, she would be timid, as if there was an automatic danger just because of what I said. Telling her to trust her mind and trust her body has gotten her to loosen up in normal situations and better identify stuff where she should slow down. I love the saying, “Never interrupt a child doing dangerous things carefully.” Of course, I’m not giving her a machete or a flame thrower any time soon..
Great video of your daughter on the tractor. I laughed at the flower picking, as well. I got my wife on our little lawn tractor (50″ Cub Cadet XT1) the other day for the first time because I got it stuck in the mud and needed help getting it out. I gave her the 30 second training routine about breaks and throttle and we got it unstuck 30 seconds later. For the next 5 minutes she was enjoying herself running around the yard with it and wants to start mowing the easy parts (no trees) of the yard, next. Maybe your daughter can show my wife the finer points of riding mowers.
That was awesome. One of my favorite memories as a young child was when my grandfather let me steer the tractor (I couldn’t reach the pedals).
I’m enjoying your getting settled videos. I hope to do the same thing in the near future.
To Cute 👍👍👍
I was about 12 when I started mowing for real with a gas push mower, of course that was 60+ years ago. Our 5 children were all mowing the grass by 15, Girls including
That’s so cool that you’re teaching her some real life lessons. She’s obviously a hard little worker already. Thanks for all the progress updates.
Jay: I believe this is a very important aspect of education of children often not done. I am a baby boomer and many of us grew up on small farms of the day or operated equipment and tools kids today don’t even know exist. I drove a wagon load of wheat to the grain elevator 4 1/2 miles away on a John Deere tractor when I was 6 years old. Likely did things that parents would be arrested for child endangerment today. Keep it up. She is developing skills and confidence that will be central to her future accomplishments.
You are one great Dad!
Great Dad, congratulation for your new place. Enjoy live there. Put photo trap for animals and add live map into your videos :) that place is big one
When kids want to help, find a way to say, “Yes!”