Breaking an Amish Stereotype

Many of the people who ask me about the Amish think most of 'em live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Since the Amish settled in PA during the 1730s - and many Amish fiction books make PA their setting - I'm guessing that's why many people assume PA hosts the most. Not so.

Truth is, the largest number of Amish settlements nationwide is in my home state - Ohio. (Tweet That)

According to a 2010 research, the Amish are migrating westward. Since 2010, I've seen more in our western United States than this map shows.

Show and Tell about the Amish

I'm excited!

 The Public Library of Knox County and Mount Vernon booked me to speak about my experiences helping ex-Amish adjust to "outside" life and what I've learned of the Amish. "I got a suitcase of Harvey's Amish clothes," I offered when we talked about the September 26th, noon, Brown Bag Chat program. "I can bring and show his clothing."

After a few years out of the Amish life, Harvey's mom gave him a suitcase of his handmade childhood clothes. My daughter, Lynsey, and I pulled out each tiny item with "oohs" and "awws." We gently examined the hand stitching and each patch, which told a story. Did you know Swartzentruber Amish dress both male and female babies in a dress until their second birthday? (Tweet That)

We lovingly eyed the little dress that baby Harvey wore his first two years of life.

With the exploding interest in the Amish - some factual like PBS's The Amish; some fictional like Breaking Amish: LA and Amish Mafia - I'm often asked to share about this insular American sub-culture.

Girl Goes Wild on Amish Boy

Odd; two weeks ago, I posted on sexual abuse in some of the Amish orders or settlements. This post highlights some of their naivety.

A young Amish runaway was finding a safe haven with my husband and me. The lad is compliant, pleasant, and eager to please. Days after leaving the Amish, he was hired full-time and peddled a donated bicycle to/from work every day – without complaint. How many teens do you know who’d ride a bicycle in the summer heat without whining for a car?

Our former house-guest is wise in many ways. Growing up Amish, he knows about farming, fertilizers, hard work, hunting, honesty, custom cabinetry, and resourcefulness.

But he’s also naïve about some cruel minds on the “outside.” As an ex-Amish farm boy, he has little experience with boy-crazed girls who throw their body at his; grabbing his hand, touching him, rubbing up against him, texting him to death, and the most aggressive offender who insisted he hug her in public. Her demands were counter-cultural to his upbringing - Amish don’t display physical or verbal affection - making him uncomfortable.

The First, Best, Shortest and Fave

What a crazy trip. I never chased after them or knew much of the culture. God threw them in my path. Now that I've helped some adapt to life on the outside, given a home to the homeless, and have oodles of memories and stories - and I'm no longer naive - I'm blogging about those who've left the Amish. The blog comments, by people over the globe, prove the rabid interest or fascination of this compact, insular American sub-culture. Those with a romantic notion of Amish and their "simple life" wonder, why would anyone want to leave?

Some of you are new to my blog so I want to share the first, best, shortest, and favorite posts, so you don't miss a thing.

In December 2012, I launched Beyond Buggies and Bonnets: True Amish Stories. An author friend brainstormed with me for just the right title. "You're gonna blog about people who are more than buggies and bonnets," she said. "And readers like true stories." Hence the title.

Now, ta da, here are the winning posts . . .