I’m Teaching My Boys to Leave Me Behind

My boys are leaving without me—for three days and nearly 20 miles down the river. Jonah and Josiah are heading out on a canoe-camping trip to film a movie for their outdoor channel. Before they go, I insist on a little practice: basic paddle strokes, steering, and getting back into a canoe after it flips. Let’s just say the cold-water lesson isn’t their favorite part of the adventure. Then it’s time to load the gear, talk through the plan, and let them go. Back on the farm, the chores they normally handle fall to the rest of us. Austin and Lily help with morning milking, we work through calf separation and fencing problems, and I reflect on something I’ve told the children: My dream doesn’t have to be your dream. It’s one thing to say that. It’s another to watch them start building a life that might take them away from the farm. We finish by picking the boys up, hearing what they learned, and finding out whether the canoe—and all that camera gear—made it through the trip without flipping. 00:00 Letting the boys leave without me 01:57 Putting the paddle strokes to the test 07:34 The hard part: Letting them go 09:38 Three days, two nights, and nearly 20 miles 13:41 Back home, the farm chores are on me 14:00 Austin and Lily help with morning milking 20:01 The family heads in different directions 21:09 What did they learn on the river? We’ve spent years teaching our children how to work beside us. Now we’re learning how to cheer them on as they follow dreams of their own—and hoping this land will always be a place that brings us back together. #FamilyFarm #Homesteading #Parenting #CanoeCamping #OutdoorAdventure #RaisingKids #LettingGo #FamilyLife #RiverCamping #HomesteadLife #NextGeneration #AdventureFilmmaking