Our day begins by dawn. After breakfast, my brothers go into the fields with our father. They work hard all day planting crops, clearing land and building fences. Some boys learn a trade, like blacksmithing or printing. These boys often become apprentices when they are eleven or twelve and go to live and work with other families.
Girls work hard also.
After we help make breakfast, we get right to our chores. We make candles, preserve food, bake bread and help our mothers make cheese and butter. In the afternoon, we do the family's mending and washing, and knit, weave cloth and spin yarn. Our families need us to stay at home and work. We do learn to read, write and do simple math at home.