Leaving the Amish community, especially after baptism, often results in shunning (Meidung), meaning estrangement from family and friends, as a form of church discipline for breaking rules; however, many youth experience a period of exploration (Rumspringa) and a large percentage choose to return, while those who leave permanently face a difficult transition into modern "English" society, losing their familiar support systems but gaining access to technology and new opportunities.
Summary: The Amish typically have their teeth pulled out by unlicensed dentists instead of incurring the high cost of dentistry. They perceive dentures as more cost effective and easier to maintain oral health.
Therefore, the use of condoms by Amish men is strictly forbidden and condemned in most, if not all, Amish communities.
Expulsion from the church can lead to a lifetime of estrangement from family and friends. However, those who do fall from grace can always return to the fold if they are willing to confess their wrongs and mend their ways.
Rumspringa is a period that begins at age sixteen and ends with the promise of baptism, during this period young Amish are exposed to the outside world. Another problem the Amish community faces during the Rumspringa period is unexpected pregnancy.
In many Amish homes, rags are a common toilet paper alternative. These rags are typically old clothes that have been worn out. After simple processing, they become practical cleaning tools.
The Amish wedding night will usually be spent in the bride's parent's home, as the couple will need to assist in clean up the following day. They will then spend their first months of marriage – their honeymoon – visiting relatives. (This is when most gifts they receive will be given.)
Amish girls typically get married in their early 20s, usually between ages 20 and 22, often shortly after being baptized into the church, which usually happens in their late teens or early twenties. While dating starts around 16 during the Rumspringa period, marriage follows baptism and joining the church, with females often marrying slightly younger than their male partners.
How much does an Amish make? As of Jan 8, 2026, the average annual pay for an Amish in the United States is $42,666 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $20.51 an hour. This is the equivalent of $820/week or $3,555/month.
So to repeat, the Amish do not have more than one wife, or husband. Polygamy is not permitted according to Amish beliefs. And “Amish Polygamists” have never existed in their history. It has always been one man and one woman – that's the only acceptable form of marriage in the Amish church.
I don't know about all of them but 28 years ago before I left we did not use any store bought tampons or pads. Instead we used these ripped up towels and rags and they would be like this long and we would roll them four or five times and then we would use four safety pins and pin them to our homemade underwear.
Covering their hair is seen as a way to distinguish themselves from men and to show their role as caretakers of the home and family. As a matter of fact, Amish women don't cut or shave any hair from their bodies.
Back then, Amish men wore denim pants without any undergarments, which seems surprising since denim isn't typically the most comfortable fabric directly on skin. Fast forward to more recent visits when I helped with laundry at my siblings' homes, I discovered a change: the men now wear store-bought boxers!
Bundling, or tarrying, is the traditional practice of wrapping a couple together in a bed, sometimes with a board between the two of them, usually as a part of courting behavior.
While the Amish do not take pictures of themselves, they do use mirrors. The use of a mirror is allowed because unlike a picture, it is not a graven image. Women use mirrors to do their hair and men use mirrors to shave. If you take our guided farmhouse tour, you'll spot a few mirrors in the house.
Amish men born between 1895 and 1934 who lived past their twenty-fifth birthday had an average lifespan of 76.3 years, compared with the white men of Ohio of the same age category, who had an average lifespan of 71.3 years, for a difference of five years.
Many enjoy puzzles and board games. These hot summer days provide ample opportunities for swimming in creeks and ponds. When those same ponds freeze over in four or five months, they provide a surface for ice skating that many young Amish people will enjoy.
There is a high degree of inbreeding, resulting in a high frequency of recessive disorders, many of which are seen rarely or are unknown outside of this population. Extensive genealogical records are available, and the average family size is large.
The Amish in the community I came from are not allowed to use condoms. After I left AMISH, one of my sister-in-law's pulled me aside and she was so upset and felt so guilty. She told me that they were using condoms and sinning.
Amish married women wear white bonnets. 👒Women who are not yet married wear black bonnets. In these candid shots of Amish woodworkers in our woodshops, how many are married?
A: There is no right or wrong answer to whether the bride should sleep with the groom the night before the wedding. Some couples prefer to spend the night apart to build anticipation for the big day, while others feel more comfortable and relaxed staying together.
Jars of celery are set out on tables for decoration. Celery sprouting in the garden is a sign of hope. It's a sign of a young woman's faith that she will soon have a home of her own and then a family. It means that she, above all others, is the chosen bride.
Unlike many weddings among non-Amish, the Amish couple will not conclude their wedding with a honeymoon trip. Instead, they will spend the next day helping to clean after the wedding. The next few months will be spent living with the bride's parents until they are ready to start a home of their own.