Childrearing and growing up Amish belong to the very soul and sinew of being Amish. Children are not automatically members of the Amish church. Joining the church requires a decision by each individual, usually made in the late teens or early 20s. Life until then is full of learning to work, discovering how to be a responsible and contributing part of the Amish world, and finding a balance between the duties of life and its true pleasures. Ever Present Parents Nothing, Amish parents believe, can substitute for their own direct and constant involvement with their children, and they practice that conviction fervently.
Most Amish families eat three meals a day together.
If they aren t farmers, Datt likely works in a machine or cabinet shop across the yard or within the neighborhood. From late August through the end of May, the schoolchildren miss the noontime meal with their families. But then they are in the company of other Amish children, in a world nearly as familiar and secure as home. Days are full for these children. The littlest ones stay in the house or garden with their mother, free to play but never out of view in the sprawling kitchen or yard.