Amanda Owen Opens Up About the Emotional Realities of Farm Life
Amanda Owen, star of Channel 4's Our Yorkshire Farm, has shared a deeply personal insight into how life on the farm has shaped her nine children. Speaking to Adrian Chiles on the BBC Radio 4 Saturday Live podcast, the 51-year-old mother discussed the harsh lessons that come with rural living.
Owen, who shares her children with ex-husband Clive, explained that one of the most important lessons her children learn is that failure is inevitable. 'One is that you don't always win, you do not always win. If you fear failing then that is going to seriously hamper you,' she said.
Using the example of a dying animal, Owen illustrated how the farm teaches resilience. 'You will have an animal that is sick, and you will do everything, everything within your power to try and heal it,' she said. 'The number of times we have propped ailing sheep up on bales and tried to get standing and dose them with treacle, literally showered them with tlc.'
However, she noted that sometimes hope can be misleading. 'One of the children has come running back in and said 'The sheep! It's better! It's drinking water'. And a little part of my heart sinks because usually that is exactly what they do just before they expire.' She added, 'And now you've got to carry on, that's what you have to do. It's a life lesson in itself.'
Owen's Favourite Stage of Parenting
This is not the first time Owen has spoken about her children. Last year, on the Good Housekeeping UK podcast, she revealed that she is now experiencing her favourite stage of parenting. 'I love it. This is the best of parenthood,' she said. 'I was warned of this because I always remember a lady coming to the door and saying, 'You'll pay the price one of these days. When they're teenagers your life will be hell'.'
She disagreed, saying, 'Sorry, I think this will be the best stage. I was never very mumsy which sounds silly when you've got nine children. I never really was. I would have in the car seat and I would put them down somewhere, forget where I'd put them, things like that. I mean it was always in a field. But now they're really getting their characters coming through and I feel like, if I was looking at it in a selfish way, they keep me feeling relevant. They keep me, sort of, with it.'
