by Torah Bontrager | Jul 18, 2020 | Amish life, Trauma
Amish dolls have no faces. No eyes, no nose, no mouth, no fingers, no toes. I spotted it after church services were over. Laura was playing with it. The white miniature-sized, plastic English doll with delicate features looked so pretty. I admired its tiny, beautiful...
by Torah Bontrager | Jul 13, 2020 | Amish life
How do you make summer fun? For the kids AND yourself? Here are some ideas for creating unforgettable summer memories, based on my favorite Amish childhood activities. I grew up Amish, which meant that summers were all about having fun …
by Torah Bontrager | Jul 13, 2020 | Trauma
I have no photographic evidence of my existence as an Amish child. Many years later, I learned that graveyards serve as the pictures of my history. They’re the photos of my past, the proof that my ancestors existed. Several years...
by Torah Bontrager | Jul 12, 2020 | Amish life
Myth #3: Those who exit are “ex-Amish” or no longer Amish. The term “ex-Amish” is widely used to refer to those of us who have exited the Church, but there are many problems with that label. “Ex-Amish” implies that we’re no longer Amish, and that’s false. A change of...
by Torah Bontrager | Jul 12, 2020 | Amish life
Myth #1: Amish teens have the freedom to choose whether to remain inside the Church; that’s what rumspringa is for. Rumspringa as portrayed in pop culture is a myth that does untold damage to those of us stuck inside who want a different future. We don’t get a choice...
