Instead of slurping from their cereal bowls and scrolling through their phones, Glade and Bethel Smith’s children start their day by eating breakfast and then reading the Bible as a family.
The Smith kids—Madeline, 13, Everett, 11, Annabeth, 10, Vivian, 7, Penelope, 6, and Henry, 3—are eager to read the verses but wait for their turn, after which they clean up the kitchen and get ready to start their day.
“We homeschool our kids,” Nebraskan farmer Glade Smith, 41, told The Epoch Times. “None of our kids have a phone or any electronic devices. None of our kids play video games. [Instead,] our kids love to read and love to use their imagination.”
Homeschooling and Helping Out at the Farm
The kids begin their homeschooling day at 8:30 a.m. with their stay-at-home mom reading novels aloud that align with what they are learning in school, followed by a fun session of singing together.
If they complete their schoolwork by lunchtime, the kids are encouraged to help their dad on the farm—with 3-year-old Henry, who isn’t in school yet, spending most of his time doing just that.
“He’s probably [the biggest] animal lover of any of the kids,” Smith said, adding that the little boy loves milking cows and is not afraid of getting in there.
On Mondays, the older kids join Smith in packing beef boxes.
In the past couple of years, the parents have instituted the idea of paid jobs, with each child getting paid some money for completing their daily chores.
“My oldest daughter is in charge of some calves that need to be fed,” said Smith, who is also a multigenerational cattle producer and bred cattle marketing specialist with Wright Livestock. “My son is in charge of caring for 60 chickens. One of my younger daughters is in charge of gathering and washing eggs.”
The children, who were introduced to farm life at birth, have shown a strong work ethic despite being young.
Their proud father recalled a work trip to Oklahoma with his son, Everett, who won a fellow cattleman’s heart with his diligence.
“We’re gathering several hundred head of cattle, sorting and loading trucks,” Smith said. “One of these hard-working, blue-collar cattlemen was blown away watching my [son] running cattle around doing a good job and gave him a $20 bill. A year later, my boy still has that $20 bill. That meant so much to him.”
Over the past year, Everett has worked laboriously in the muddy fields laying out heavy 30-foot-long tubes for irrigating crops in the scorching heat. His tireless efforts have won neighbors’ hearts, with now many asking Smith for his son’s assistance in irrigating their fields.
“I was amused because I found myself being my son’s secretary, as neighbors were calling, [asking,] ‘Can your son come help me today?'” Smith said, adding that he believes his hardworking son will become a “hot commodity” to farmers in the near future.
While “smart, capable” Madeline, “inquisitive, mechanically-inclined” Everett, “sweet, kind-hearted” Annabeth, “independent, meticulously tidy” Vivian, “gentle, Daddy’s girl” Pepper (Penelope), and “animal loving” Hank (Henry) are all very involved on the farm, they also do lots of “normal kids’ stuff,” such as playing football, attending gymnastics, and learning to play piano.
Instilling Family Values
Apart from involving his kids at the farm during the day, Smith ensures that he prays with each kid before bedtime.“I pray that they can obey, I pray that they can be kind, and I pray that they can be happy,” he said.
The Smith parents work hard to instill values in their kids such as not complaining and choosing to be happy, regardless of the tough days.
“They need to be able to be content, because ... there [are] some days on the farm that it’s nasty; when it’s 30 below zero, and [I’ve] got to start a piece of equipment that won’t start, and the wind is howling, but my cattle need to be fed, and if I don’t feed them, they’re going to starve,” Glade Smith said.
The family has also been working toward upholding traditions such as storytelling—with a list of stories passed down from Grandpa Smith—and being hospitable when they have guests.
Every week, the family has a small gathering of friends over for food and Bible readings.
“We laugh, we tell stories, and we pray for each other; that sense of fellowship and community is important,” Smith said.
With Bethel hailing from a family that has worked on the same farm for nine generations and Glade running beef cattle, five dozen chickens, and five Jersey milk cows, the Smith parents are teaching their kids how to grow their own food.
“They have an idea how to raise beef, and how to raise chickens, and where the milk comes from, and how to have a garden,” Glade Smith said.
