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Episode length: 58m
During the 1970s, childhood looked much different. Preteens, untethered to smartphones, listened to new records on turntables, wandered unsupervised in the wild, and…drove trucks and bathed in tin tubs? That was the case for 12-year-old Meghan Cox Gurdon, at least, when she was sent to live with her father on his homestead in rural Maine. Her new memoir, Free Range Girl, recounts the year she went “back to the land” – all while navigating the challenges of early adolescence. She and Chris discuss the trials and triumphs of her life on the homestead, why she views the past with charity, and how her experiences shaped her own approach to motherhood.
Show Notes:
Time Stamps:
1:54 – Inspiration and method
12:40 – Her father’s “back to the land” motivation
14:07 – Forgiving the past
20:00– First impressions of the homestead
26:56 – An idyllic excerpt
31:32 – The capability of children
34:14 – Friends, music, and the escapades of middle school
43:10 – The struggle to fit in
46:00 – After the first year
50:11 – Free-range parenting
Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
Produced by Keira Stenson.
Hosted by Christopher J. Scalia
