As an avid outdoor adventurer, i always envisioned my kids would have the same strong desires that i do. I quickly went through an interesting learning curve regarding this with my son Miles. When Miles was quite young I had been very focused on the idea that he should be amazing at all things outdoorsy. I worked with him on all sorts of very specific skills: rock climbing hand holds and foot placement, proper kayaking paddle strokes, how to best distribute weight in his backpack, etc. ... I was so focused on the particulars of the skills that i had lost sight of the FUN! As a result of my narrow focus, Miles' overall interest in paddling, rock climbing, etc, to my dismay, waned. Eventually i realized the FUN factor should be my goal, and slowly things began to shift. Adventures with my son and daughter are now more about the fun and
play, and not about my personal desire for them to rock at the outdoor skills. Keep the FUN (and safety) first, and then teachable moments will always crop up. This shift in perspective has made a world of difference with the adventures we have together.
One example of this shift - over this past winter the kiddos came out to a couple of
the kayak pool sessions we host through
Frog Hollow. I had been wanting Miles (and eventually Zella) to learn how to Wet-Exit from a kayak. So, i kept that singular goal on my mental back burner, while focusing more on the
time i spent with them about playing around in the boats. Miles did end up Wet-Exiting without a spray skirt, and he did great. He pushed his personal comfort zone a bit but all within the umbrella of FUN. My learning curve as a parent eventually brought me to the realization that working to create memories of these experiences that are happy and joyous, instead of
anxious and worrisome, will keep 'em coming back for more. ...the skills will come.
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| Miles geared up! |
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| Z chillin' with some kayaks |
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| A spinning Z |
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| Buckin' bronco |
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| Buckin' Bronco |
