I thought I would write some advice for anyone having their first child/ren in the country or anyone thinking of moving to the country with their kids. How to let them be free without letting them get hurt.
We live in a very rural area- to give you an 
idea of what it's like our little town is 2km from our house, it has about 10 houses, a general store/post office, a GREAT pub, and a small primary school. We have neighbours across the disused railway line, but you can't see them or hear them. Our next closest neigbour is about 700metres away across the paddock & it's my uncle and his family. The closest shopping centre is 45km away, and everything in between is farms - besides a few other little communities.
My children are almost 2 and 6 months and have been brought up here so far. My older child loves to be outside ALL the time, which of course isn't always possible so we have to be creative! When we are outside we have to keep a good eye on him, the yard is very large - about 3 acres - with sheds, trees and silos. The only fences are the fences that seperate the house yard from the paddocks, and the end of the drive way has a cattle grid which he has worked out how to cross and this can be very dangerous as a lot of farm machinery goes past! He has a Jack Russell dog that we got him when he was 15 days old so they could grow up together - she is 4 weeks older than him. She has just had pups & we have kept on for our other son to grow up with.
The dogs are very important to us - we have 5! They are part of our family but also necessary as far as we are concerned. We have a working dog for my husbands work, a hunting dog for our recreation, and now 3 Jack Russels. Both of the boys dogs will be used to breed, the male we have is the oldests breeding partner & we will be getting another male to use with the pup to breed in the future. The Jack Russels are also, to us, use to help with the children. We have snakes around here & the dogs are bred to alert us of them and if needed disable them to protect us and the children. The dogs go everywhere with our son, so if we do lose sight of him (as we all know does happen) we only have to call and the dog lets us know where he is, we know he is always safe with her. He helps look after his dog, and as a result he gets a share of the money made from her pups as will his little brother when he is old enough.
There are so many things that can be dangerous out here besides the snakes - fences can hang your children if they climb them, fall & get caught, the cattle grid can pose a great danger when trying to cross it, there are poisonous spiders around. Luckily there are no dams near our house, but in the paddock just over our back fence there is a stock trough which a child could easily drown in. The silos can be dangerous & our son has been taught not to go near them, also the sheds with tools and machinery in them.
I do take the kids out into the paddocks and on the machinery when their dad is working long hours as it is the only way they get to see him. They are taught that all machinery and equipment is dangerous and they are not to go near it unless we or another adult is with them. We also go to the shearing shed when the shearing is on & they know thye can watch and go in the pens wih the sheep - with an adult - and they are not to run or make loud noises. As I have said they are taught this from a very young age and we have no problems with them.
I don't want to make the country sound like a death trap for kids, but as with anywhere it has it's dangers and you really need to be aware of them. After our first son was born I went outside, got down on all fours and looked to see what he would see when he got old enough to come outside and play. I then fixed what I could that may be dangerous, and made mental notes of the rest & discussed them with my husband so we knew what to watch out for.
The country is a GREAT place for children to grow up, I did & I love it! We give our son, and will be the same with the younger one, a lot of freedom here. He can run and play and explore -with or without us - but always with a watchfull eye and a companion, whether it be us or his dog! He has been taught what is dangerous, what he can and can't do or touch. As with all kids he will occasionally try something he knows he shouldn't, but we are always close by to stop him.
I don't think the country is any more dangerous than the city for children, the dangers are just different. You need to learn the dangers around you & be fully aware of them. Your children need to be taught from a very young age what they can and can't do. As long as you make sure your children understand the dangers around them they can have a safe and happy childhood. I believe freedom to play and explore is very important, you just need to monitor what is going on & step in when needed, or join in yourself - it can be great fun! I run around like a mad woman playing with my children, play games like I am 3 years old & have great fun!
(July 2007) (
