Sharing the work - In theory

In my initial Blog regarding my vision to establish an intergenerational homestead I wrote:

"Each family member would participate in a share of the work
necessary to provide for the needs of the entire family."

The industrial paradigm for this would be the “Division of Labor”. That is to divide up the various tasks to be done around the homestead. One person would be in charge of taking care of the rabbits and hogs, and another in charge of the chickens and cows. One person would be charged with the care of the garden, another cooking, another procurement of firewood etc.

This division of labor might lead to the various persons becoming quite expert at what they do, if they were ideally suited to the tasks in the first place. On the other hand, it might very well lead to one or more of them feeling as if they had been shackled to a dreaded drudgery which they would seek to escape at the earliest opportunity. That would not contribute to the desired sustainability of the homestead.

This arrangement could also lead to the various members becoming autonomous in their thinking even as they would be in their activities. Instead of working as a member of the group, they would be working as separate entities at their separate endeavors. When one would finish his work with the rabbits and hogs, would he not be free then to go pursue his leisure never mind the fact that another is struggling to keep up with work in the garden? It might not be surprising for one to conclude that a single unit of her production is worth three units of another’s. Oh the conflicts that could ensue.

In his book Better Off, Eric Brende tells of working with members of the minnimite community in raising an addition to a barn, thrashing grain, and harvesting crops. At one point one of them tells Eric that, "Many hands make light work". My Grandma wasn't a minnimite (although she would have fit right in I expect) but I can recall her telling me the same thing.

Within the context of a well-functioning multigenerational homestead, the various tasks should all be shared. That is not to say that every member must engage in the same single task at any given moment. Rather it is to say that each task should be shared by two or more family members at any given time, ideally by at least one adult and some child or children. I have fond memories of “working” in the garden with the grown ups when I was only four or five years old. Likewise I recall working happily with my dad in his workshop and in the yard with my mom. I remember picking beans with my children years ago and just this spring planting ‘taters with my two-year-old granddaughter.

Working together provides opportunity for sharing thoughts, feelings, and truths. What an opportunity for a parent or grandparent to instill love of God, love of family, appreciation of created things, and the joy of living into the lives of children. If conversation can be classified as entertainment (and I think it can) then many of the tasks that can be shared on a homestead definitely have an entertainment value. Sharing the work provides all these good things and the extra benefit of accomplishing the task at hand. What could be better?

A Family Vision

Okay, I admit it. I am a little slow.

Our kids are both grown and gone from our home and have homes and families of their own. They are busy taking care of their everydays just as their parents were 25 years ago. Realistically, I am looking at what are to be the final years of my life and now I am stepping up and saying “I have a vision for our family”. What gives?

I won’t attempt to answer the "why?" and "why now?" questions at this point. (Many of my reasons would be obvious to anyone living in this country now with their eyes open.) For right now I will simply say that having lived for 57 years and having my eyes open for a good part of that time, I feel compelled, though not totally qualified, to offer a vision for our family to examine and hopefully to embrace. What I now offer here are the bare bones, the frame work of a vision which will need to be fleshed-out and filled-in.

My vision is to establish an intergenerational family homestead populated by members of our extended family living interdependently in the context of a self-sustaining family economy. In this arrangement we would seek to live largely independent of outside entities for energy, food, fuel, and entertainment. Within this environment, each family member would be encouraged to explore, learn, develop and excel in those areas wherein they have been gifted. Each family member would participate in a share of the work necessary to provide for the needs of the entire family.

This intergenerational home will be a Bible-based Christian home; a home where each member is encouraged to live out his/her personal commitment to Christ as Lord and to grow toward maturity in Christ. This will be a home where we together develop an awareness of God’s presence, provision, and direction.

My paternal grandpa died on his 84th birthday. My dad is 87 and getting along pretty well. At 57 years of age, I will not presume to have 30 more years or even 30 more days. However, in its scope this vision is intended to encompass my final years (however many of them God will grant) and more importantly, it is my hope that the quality of life afforded by the living out of this vision will prove to be so pleasant, productive, and fulfilling that it will be continued in those generations of my family that follow. In other words, my hope is it will lead to a legacy as well as a lifestyle.

I have plenty of ideas and opinions on how to go about the process of fleshing out each component goal of this vision. However, I believe it will be better achieved in collusion with other family members who will likewise embrace and own the vision. In order to help us find our way in this direction, I expect to draw from several resources including people who have studied and written about the intergenerational family and home; people who have contemplated and lived the agrarian life in times past as well as those presently engaged in it.

And I hope to gain insight from those of you who may read this blog and care to share your thoughts and experiences. In return, I will attempt to regularly and honestly record here our progress (or the lack thereof) with the hope that it will encourage others.