Toddlers and Teaching: Motherhood in the Busy Season
The busy season is here at Forestside Farm & Garden. Every day feels like a race against time. There are plants that need planting, seeds that need starting, and the to-do list seems to grow no matter how many tasks get checked off. On top of all that, I have a toddler underfoot. Some days, it feels impossible to get anything done. And yet, in the middle of the chaos, there’s a quiet joy in seeing her curiosity and wonder bloom alongside the garden.
There’s no denying it. Running a farm with a toddler is a balancing act. One moment I’m digging into soil or filling seed trays, the next I’m “pausing for a potty.” Nap schedules collide with weeding schedules. Some days, it feels like nothing gets done “efficiently.” And some days, nothing gets done at all.
The physical exhaustion is real. The mental juggling , from keeping track of work, farm projects, and a toddler, is exhausting. But here’s the thing: these moments, though challenging, are also shaping the way my child experiences the world around her, and are fueling her understanding of stewardship.
Amid the spills, the dirt under fingernails, and the constant reminders to “be careful,” there’s an incredible opportunity to teach her what stewardship actually means. Even at two years old, she’s learning that our plants and animals are living things, that we care for them, and that our actions, whether big or small, affect the life around us.
Whether she’s helping me scatter seeds, watering seedlings, or simply sitting quietly next to me while I work, she’s absorbing lessons about responsibility, patience, and the beauty of nurturing life. Those small moments are gifts I wouldn’t trade for a spotless schedule.
Motherhood on the farm is messy, unpredictable, and exhausting. But it’s also deeply rewarding. In teaching her about stewardship, I’m reminded of my own lessons about patience, timing, and the rhythms of life. This busy season, with all its chaos, is shaping both of us—one seed, one sprout, one tiny hand at a time.