Life on Voetberg Hill

crushing my nephew in pickleball and Cicero with the nieces

Last week, I escaped the dystopian desert city of Phoenix and flew up to the enchanted realm of the Pacific Northwest.

All ten kids and the 37 (ish?) grandkids gathered on Voetberg Hill, where we Lived. Laughed. Loved.

In watching my siblings raise their families, I was struck yet again by the truth: a countercultural lifestyle of healthy, intentional living isn’t just worth it—it’s a net benefit in every direction.

A few anecdotes of this life:

I played pickleball with my 12-year-old nephew Dodge, who, on the cusp of manhood, thought he could finally take down Uncle Vance. Was I nervous? Maybe a little. Should I have been? No. I beat the kid 11–3. Maybe next year, Dodge.

While 71% of 12-year-old boys in America are playing video games or scrolling TikTok, Dodge is out in the sunshine playing pickleball. Barefoot, no less.

I did a group fitness class with my sister Liddy’s kids: Shirley (9), Tilly (7), Wilbe (5), and Henty (3). Even though I made them count each rep like I was running BUD/S training in Coronado, they all had wides miles on their faces. The movement was feeding their little hearts and souls.

Afterward, the hungry kids devoured a hearty supper of chicken thighs, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and green salad—defying the shocking reality that 67% of the daily calories consumed by U.S. children come from ultra-processed foods.

I got a wonderful violin performance from my sister Lilja’s daughters—Georgie (7) and Mardie (5). Their musicality didn’t happen by accident. It’s the fruit of my sister and her husband investing in their girls—not parking them in front of a screen for 2.5 hours a day, like the average American 3–5-year-old.

I got to pick up my nieces Andi (14) and Eden (15) from their rhetoric class, where they had just learned how to spot an ad hominem argument. These Ciceros in pigtails are now at the stage where they read Running On Butter and feel mild pity for Uncle Vance’s reasoning.

Their clarity of thought is undoubtedly helped by the fact that they’re not spending the genuinely mind-boggling 8 hours a day on screens—like the average teenage girl does.

---

I’m beyond grateful that my siblings are intentionally raising their kids to be healthy—spiritually, physically, mentally, and intellectually.

Sure, they want to teach their kids discipline by living this kind of lifestyle. But I think, at a deeper level, they’re raising their children so countercultural because (1) the parents enjoy it more, and (2) the kids enjoy it more.

Yes, it would be easier to hand them smartphones. But scrolling is far less life-giving—far less fun—than growing tomatoes or playing volleyball or adventures in the woods.

It’s more convenient to feed kids processed food. But cooking and serving real, wholesome meals has genuinely nourished my siblings’ souls. It’s more enjoyable for my sister Liddy to teach Henty to want steak than to hand out fishy crackers.

The results of this lifestyle happen to be great for one’s health—but honestly, that’s not the sole reason they’re doing it. They’re doing it because they love it.