A mother turned her 8-year-old son's passion for tractors and farming into an infectious hit on TikTok.
With more than 400,000 followers on TikTok, the Just a Jackson Thing (@justajacksonthing) has taken off in a way that Jessica, mom to tractor-obsessed 8-year-old Jackson, could never have predicted in her wildest dreams.
Initially, he began posting videos of his son sharing his love of all things farming, including his deep knowledge of tractors and lawnmowers, simply as something fun they did together. But over time, thousands of people began flocking to the account to watch little Jackson tinker with his family's collection of John Deere tractors in the workshop on his large estate near Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Jackson's videos usually include him giving tutorials on equipment, working in his family's fields, checking out new John Deere tractors or having a good time at the Fort Wayne Farm Show, Indiana's largest indoor agricultural show.
“I would say farming is in my blood, I would say it's there, I would definitely say it is,” Jackson explained to a local media outlet, noting that he comes from a long line of farmers. “It's fun to tear something apart, fix it, and then put it back together again.”
He added: “You can discover new things, learn new things, discover new tractors and stuff and then you keep that knowledge and when you go to buy other things, bigger equipment, maybe you have the same thing. engine or something, you know those things.”
The overwhelmingly positive reaction to Jackson's videos has left his mother in awe.
“We've been on board with Jackson's journey for quite some time, now it's gone viral,” Jessica said. “Every stage is amazing with him and just being able to see how he has grown and learned, I love the passion he has for farming and tractors.”
Jessica and her husband grew up on a hog and dairy farm, respectively, and passed on their love of farming to their son, who is excited to continue the family legacy.
“We know that growing up on a farm teaches you to really value work and appreciate the work that goes into the food we eat,” he explained. “So it's a very good way to grow; we appreciate how we grew up; It's hard work, it's stressful at times, but there's also a lot of good things that come from the farming we know, so we try to foster that passion. whenever we can and involve him.”
When Jackson isn't working on tractors or tending his fields, his mother homeschools him, working on subjects like history. She said she tries to incorporate what he is learning on the family farm into his daily lessons so that the material relates more to his day-to-day experiences. Jackson has also been hard at work on a 6×12-foot miniature farm display, which he has chronicled on TikTok.
