You don’t have to work hard to get your kid to like playing
in the outdoor arena. Climbing trees, splashing around in a creek, hiking
through the woods…these are all things that fall into the “naturally enjoyable”
category for most youngsters. Even the little intricacies they gobble up, like
packing up their backpack, looking at the map and choosing their snacks. For
the most part. So many of the intentional parent moves are about getting kids
to do things that are good for them and a lot of them involve a lot of
convincing. You very rarely have to convince a kid to play outdoors and enjoy
themselves, but you will have to work if you are going to teach them to
appreciate it.
There are a couple of reasons why.
Competition – I heard stats a couple of weeks ago about how
visitation to the National Parks is trending down and the average age of the
visitor is trending up. Now, I personally don’t know if this is true but it
wouldn’t surprise me. I find my child’s attention is fought for every waking
minute of his life. He has an army of electronic options ready to entertain him
with thousands and thousands of choices. Constantly.
“Wired” Parents – It is easy to talk about how electronics
have changed the world for our kids, but in my experience those same kids are
being impacted by parents whose lives are also drastically altered by devices
and connectivity. A quote my wife and I read the other day said that for nearly
every parent in the country, the last thing they touch at night and the first
thing they touch in the morning is their phone.
Exposure – As pleasant as my childhood was, we weren’t
exposed to much appreciation for the
outdoors. We played on the ball teams when they were in
season, went to beach in the summer if we were lucky, and reserved the outdoors
for hunting or fishing. We would visit a state park or two each year, typically
the same ones. The only National Parks we ever went to were Smoky Mountains and
Mammoth Caves, both great places. And this was the exact same blueprint of
every friend and family I knew growing up. Our exposure was limited by the
routines and cultures we were familiar with.
So when I think of how I want my son to grow up knowing the
outdoors and appreciating the wilderness, the plan requires some strategy. You
are competing for attention, and there are a lot of competitors, so first we
always strive to make things as enjoyable for him as possible. The hikes can’t
be too long or too tough. Fatigue can ruin everything. We try to cut him loose
a bit and try to not to constantly tell him what not to do (which is an easy
one to fall into).
Don’t swing on that.
Stay out of the mud.
Don’t climb on rocks.
Again, these can be a mood killer for the young adventurers.
We try to build trips around something with some novelty for
the young mind. A swinging bridge, a hidden arch, a cave to explore. We make a
big deal of the snacks and food. They love to compare what they’ve packed. We
try to coordinate to invite a buddy at every opportunity. As much as we like to
be together as a family, having friends along is always a special treat.
We talk as a family about limiting time on electronics and
collectively work to maintain balance in these areas. Although this seems
overwhelming for some people to consider, I have found that once we turn it off
and store it in the backpack, you forget all about it shortly after you start
down the trail.
And lastly, we commit to exposing our family to as many
diverse and engaging outdoor experiences as we can. Some big and some small,
but definitely some of both. Every year, we are going to set goals about how
many nights we want to spend in a tent, or days on a trail or on a bike. We
talk about places we have dreamed of going and try to go to some of them.
And when we are not out there going, we talk about going. My
son seems to write about it every year when he gets back to school when they
ask what you’ve done over the summer. We watch outdoor-themed movies and shows
about the parks. We try, as parents, to live out what we say in hopes to model
important themes for him – that there are great things to be experienced
outdoors. There’s excitement, there’s adventure, and there’s much to be
learned. And the wilderness is a place to be enjoyed, experienced, and
protected.
Sometimes, you might even have to harness it back in.
Tonight, he said, “Is summer long enough to visit every place in the world? How
could we do that and fit it all in?”
