Start 'em young

E

Expatriated

Joined
Jan 19, 2004
Messages
551
Jeff, Mike and I have discussed this at length and I don't want to get on a soapbox here but I firmly believe that this country would have been better off if my generation didn't grow up glued to MTV and video games. I have made it a point to get my children outdoors, even more than I did growing up. I'm taking Jeff's survival course this month so I will have more/better skills to pass on to them.

My friends say I'm depriving my kids since they know we don't own a Sony-Nintendo-Whatever-Machine, but my kids can say hello and look you in the eye when they shake your hand (how many kids can you say that about--heck how many ADULTS can you say that about these days??). They also can quote Bible verses, understand Spanish and have actual, old-fashioned manners, especially when dealing with grown ups. (I'm not against video games, per se, but not at the expense of appropriate life skills).

Over spring break last week, my 5 year old boy and 4 year old girl and I went camping. Yeah, it got down to 35 degrees at night in the tent and we didn't catch a single fish the whole trip but they had a ball. And had an interesting story when they got back to school.

This shot is of my boy chopping up some wood for the fire using an RTAK II. He's got his Izula on his belt. My daughter also had her pink Izula on :) I'm prescient enough to realize they'll be grown and gone before I know it so I try to keep my priorities right, you know?

IzulaRTAK.jpg
 
Nice work! Most of my childhood was spent with bricks of ammo behind a Marlin 60 .22. It wasn't until I was an adult that I got hooked on not TV, but internet forums. :D
 
Damn, Expat, the boy has grown since I last saw him. Looking forward to seeing you in April, brother.
 
Thats kind of cute in a I rather rough it kind of way! I thought before reading, damn that kid has a big knife! lol. Its good you got him started on stuff like this! My dad is a suit, I learned to build cars, bikes, weld, etc from my uncles, grand uncles and grand pa, most are WWII vets too lol.
 
Agree with pretty much everything you stated.

I wish I could add up the hours that I spent in the woods when I was little. My dad used to drop me off in the woods with a 10/22 or a Springfield pump .410 and pick me up 4 or 5 hours later.

Still have both of them. Boy, if I could even estimate how many bricks of ammo went down the pipe of that 10/22.
 
I agree, my little girl is 2 yrs old. I take her outside every chance I get and she loves it. She watches some Barney programs but my wife and I limit her TV time. I hope she never takes an interest in games and such.
 
I can assure you that my kids will be exposed to the outdoors way before video games and mindless TV.

Good stuff Exp.
 
nothin wrong with video games lol. they just should never be used as some substitute for good parenting. it's good to see you're getting them out there so young. it's times like this they'll remember for ages. how do they like their izulas btw?
 
I always liked the outdoors myself. All the kids I grew up with liked to stay in the house and play video games. Not me I liked fishing. I don't however like extremely cold or hot weather due to the fact I have chronic asthma and can't breath in those conditions. Keep up the good parenting Sr.
 
That's great that you've been able to teach your kids manners, which most of them have NONE of these days. Getting them outdoors and teaching them skills that will last them a lifetime is a great thing and will serve them well also. Congrats to you for not allowing them to get overweight and do nothing but stare at the TV while spending every penny on some worthless video game.
 
They grow up fast don't they? I heard something on Focus on the Family the other day that struck me. "Quality time for children is quantity time". In other words, they don't care so much what you do with them, just that you spend time with them. Being outdoors has been shown to improve the overall well being of children.
 
I try to get my ladies out and dirty as often as possible.

My 8yo. has down syndrome and couldn't be happier getting dirty. She'll tromp about the woods all day long and be a happy little camper.

My 5yo. ...... Well, she spent alot of time with daddy in the brush but she's growing into a little lady and is getting less and less interested in the woods.

My 2yo. isn't sure which direction she wants to go just yet. Tomboy or girly girl.

I fear I might find myself walking the mall alot more than the trails soon.
 
Yes Sir, I think your doing a great service by taking your kids outdoors. Not only do they learn respect for you and the world they're in but they get the health benefits to go along with it. I spent my childhood running in the woods behind my home, and I know if it weren't for that I'd be 20lbs heavier today. I am basically doing the same with my son(6 yr old). He spends most of his free time outside playing and I started teaching him about knife and axe safety, how to build a fire. I look forward to starting him in the cub scouts this summer and we are planning a few camp outs in the woods when I get a break from school. I still own the land where I grew up and have taken him out there and he is always asking to go out again:D. Should be a fun summer with him. I got to figure out how to do pictures so I can post some.

Keep up the good work!

Mike
 
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