Amish children are slimmer as well. Compared to modern America, it’s not even close. This study (no longer online) follows a previous look into the exercise habits of adult Amish in Canada. We tend to pass our habits and lifestyle on to our kids. Hopefully we’re teaching them habits worth having.
Horse sales draw big crowds among the Amish. Draft horses such as Belgians and Percherons are the monsters of the horse world. These two breeds power the Amish farm. They haul, they plow, they bring the corn in every autumn. The sight of four, six, or even eight drafts hitched up at one time, deftly handled by an Amish farmer or a teenage son (or…
‘English’ is what many Amish call non-Amish people. ‘Yankee’ is another term. The Amish also use phrases–‘your people’, ‘those kinds of people’–which may sound somewhat derogatory to our ears. But no harm intended. Identity matters in Amish America. Customs, clothes, language make dividing lines clear. At the same time, many Amish are surprisingly open to the world, and even have good friends among the English….
“We want to forgive him, but we have to not just do it one time. We have to do it again and again.” An anonymous Amish couple has spoken about the Nickel Mines shootings, and what’s come after. “I have to talk, get it out of my system. If not it would get the best of me “, said the Amish woman. They spoke about…
The stories are heartbreaking. You feel for the victims. It’s hard to imagine what they’ve been through. But at the same time, a 20/20 piece on Amish abuse from a few years back points to the generalizations that many journalists rely on to tell their story. The 20/20 folks lean heavily on cliches and misconceptions–from the ominous opening music, to the overplayed stories they trot…
Sometimes, as serious adults, we miss the joy to be found in the simple things. Children are good at showing us what we’re missing. A great shot of some Amish kids, back when snow meant fun, not hassle.
Members of Amish and other Plain groups rallied today to show support for midwife Diane Goslin, reports Lancaster Online (no longer online). The Amish, though generally choosing to avoid public attention, have had to take stances on things important to them in the past–issues such as schooling, military exemption, and Social Security. Since many Amish women have midwife-assisted home births, the issue is seen as…
Another midwife case is in the news. Many Amish women prefer bearing their children at home or in specially-constructed birthing centers. Reasons include the comfort of being in familiar surroundings as opposed to the foreign environment of the hospital, as well as cost. It’s usually a lot cheaper to have a child at home than in a hospital. The Amish have 6-8 children on average,…
Work is well underway on a new Amish schoolhouse to replace the one demolished after the Nickel Mines shootings. As with most things Amish it has been a group effort, with many from the community pitching in. The school should be ready for classes by March. Thoughts and prayers for the community as they heal.
A few years ago a great book was published, entitled The Amish In Their Own Words, edited by Brad Igou of Amish Country News. Brad combed through 25 years of Amish writings in Family Life magazine, putting together a collection of Amish wisdom, history, and explanations of why they do the things they do, all written from an Old Order standpoint. If you’ve ever wondered…