There is something rare and beautiful about childhood on the Santa Rosa Plateau. Out here, in the open spaces of La Cresta, Tenaja, and De Luz, our kids grow up a little more connected — to the land, to adventure, and to themselves.

They learn that sunsets are not just something you see — they are something you feel. That daily life follows the rhythms of the weather. That riding a bike down a dirt road or building a fort under the oaks can be just as magical as any screen.

Raising children here is not about perfection. It is about giving them room to explore. To breathe. To run barefoot through golden grass, chart the stars, walk trails, garden, or just sit and listen to the wind in the trees. Screen time still happens — but out here, it has competition.

They get a front-row seat to the seasons. They understand what it means when the air shifts before a storm, or how to tell animal tracks in the dirt. Some families raise animals, some do not — but all kids here witness the cycles of nature up close.

We teach responsibility not with lectures, but through life itself — stacking firewood, walking trash bins down a long drive, turning off sprinklers when the fog rolls in, caring for animals and tending to garden beds.

For homeschooling families, the Plateau becomes part of the classroom. Kids learn to observe the land, track the weather, identify native plants, and problem-solve in real time. There are local co-ops, learning pods, and other homeschooling families nearby who regularly trade ideas, organize meetups, and support one another in creating a meaningful, place-based education.

And as parents, we get to experience everything with them. We trade traffic for trails and carpool chaos for canyon views. In between the hard work and the freedom, we carve out something very precious: a sense of place.

This is not a lifestyle for everyone — but for those of us who feel called to it, it is the kind of life that shapes not just how our kids grow up, but who they will become.