I don't understand my kids........but I try
So, here's a little background........Me and my wife didn't have any kids together. My first wife couldn't carry to term, and my current wife already had 2 teenagers when we met 24 years ago. Fast forward to 2014 we started being foster parents and were happy to adopt the 4 little ones in our care. The oldest was 5, the youngest a baby. Anyway, 12 years later we are the only mom and dad these kids have really ever known. Me and my wife decided that the kids should enjoy the same kind of wild and free upbringing that we enjoyed in the 1970's. We had a blast, you would think they would too, right? NOPE!
Now picture this............We live in the last house on a dead-end dirt road, miles from town. Beyond the back yard is 120 square miles of woods, there's a river that cuts through our property that's full of trout. We have a swimming pool, we have hiking trails, within walking distance of the front door we can go camping in a place far more private and remote than a campground. We can go kayaking, fishing, hunting, hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, or just hanging out by the river in a hammock. Sounds like heaven to me and my wife, but apparently not to the kids.
Me and my wife have both said, multiple times, "If I grew up here, you'd NEVER see me!" I don't get it, our kids have NEVER explored on their own. It's like you have to take them by the hand just to venture into the back yard. It's not that they aren't outdoorsy, they are.........all of them. It's like they have been programmed since birth that the world is a big scary place that can only be seen in the safety of a group.
So, is this a generational thing or what? I've talked to younger parents (most people my age are grandparents by now) and they freak out at the thought of teenagers venturing off into the mountains alone. What's the big deal? We did it, we survived. Has society created a generation of wussies?
Now picture this............We live in the last house on a dead-end dirt road, miles from town. Beyond the back yard is 120 square miles of woods, there's a river that cuts through our property that's full of trout. We have a swimming pool, we have hiking trails, within walking distance of the front door we can go camping in a place far more private and remote than a campground. We can go kayaking, fishing, hunting, hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, or just hanging out by the river in a hammock. Sounds like heaven to me and my wife, but apparently not to the kids.
Me and my wife have both said, multiple times, "If I grew up here, you'd NEVER see me!" I don't get it, our kids have NEVER explored on their own. It's like you have to take them by the hand just to venture into the back yard. It's not that they aren't outdoorsy, they are.........all of them. It's like they have been programmed since birth that the world is a big scary place that can only be seen in the safety of a group.
So, is this a generational thing or what? I've talked to younger parents (most people my age are grandparents by now) and they freak out at the thought of teenagers venturing off into the mountains alone. What's the big deal? We did it, we survived. Has society created a generation of wussies?
