As a father I have the edge on society, for whatever reason I know I have far more influence on my daughters then others that come into contact with them. In this day and age where people are literally worshiping the earth instead of seeing it as the potential to sustain us, I know I must combat that. And my wife and I can simply by getting off our smart phones and being active in our daughters lives.
Last year we took them out into our wood lot and built this silly little fir bough lean too, kindled a fire, boiled some water from a nearby stream and let them enjoy cocoa. Because we did so in winter when few families get out, it made it even better.
I encourage other families to do the same thing. We are blessed with a nice wood lot where we can do this, and despite what teachers may say about not cutting trees, their mother and I combated that by building memories one winter day.
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That is good.
I have a friend that have grandkids and now great grand ones!!! They are in thier mid teens and early 20's. Don't see much of the older ones,but the youngest girl he brings over,most times with one of her friends. I can be out in the woods and they will come find me. Wood cutting takes a back seat and the girls gets to climb on a tree that is half limbed out. She even got to drive the tractor out of the woods once.
You will be surprised on what those kids will remember in years to come.
Yes it is funny how that works. Quality time actually is directly proportional to the quantity of time; that is, the more time you spend with them, the better it gets.
They say 30 years ago a little girl through advertisements, television and the movies were subjected to 70 images per day of what the "ideal" woman looks like. Today it is over 400 images per day. I try to combat that by telling each one how pretty they are as often as I can. Not in terms of mere flattery but because I truly believe so.
As for the half limbed out tree, oh yes I am all about that my friend! Here I was cutting some pine for the floor in our home.
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Afraid,
I think you nailed it pretty well. I have 3 granddaughters from 4-10 y/o that live 10 miles away and the best times we have are in the woods or on the lake. I made a picnic area out of a big flat rock and made some log benches and we have a burn pit there where we cook hot dogs and make smores or cut watermelons or such. I leave my board ends and such for the girls to pick up to have a fire so they can contribute. They love to get on the 4 wheeler with me to go throw hay to the horse and mule or help me burn brush piles. The 10 y/o killed her first deer on my place last season and the week before she helped me run my catfish lines and we caught a 27 lb flathead. I've caught bigger fish but catching that one with her made it so much more memorable.
One day last summer my wife and I took all three girls to the lake and they caught little green sunfish and bluegills on 10' fiberglass poles. All I did was run the trolling motor, bait hooks and take fish off. I guess we caught 50-60 small bait sized fish in 2-3 hours and had a blast doing it. Those are the times that make life worth living.
What a great outing and what a great way to ground your girls in reality. When they have kids of their own they'll be telling them stories about having hot cocoa in the woods and helping dad with the logging. Keep up the good work Dad, you're doing great.
P.S. You're a blessed man. But then you probably already knew that.
Very good. Years ago when I was custom processing for a bigger logger The Bride brought my kids out on a Saturday afternoon. Quitting time we got a little fire going & roasted some hotdogs. We asked all the other logger's if they wanted any,only one guy had the time. Now my Sons Log with me & see some of the other guys that didn't have time back then,so now they don't have to much time for them. And the one guy that had time,& one of not many I wouldve hired,other then family,died in a car rollover a couple years after. But me & The Boys still talk highly of Logger Bob. So it's good to work hard,but if u can include the family I think makes it all worth it.