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Kids in the Wilderness:  Funniest thing?  |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 04 2007 : 12:09:00 PM
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| What's the funniest thing your kid(s) ever did out in the wild? |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 2:30:57 PM
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OK, here's a cutie of mine...
On our first attempt at a family hunting trip two years ago, we camped in familiar country near Trout Lake, Washington, but it felt like uncharted territory with kids in tow. Take a couple of overprotective, hyper-hygienic parents with two toddlers, dump them in the dirty outdoors, and you're bound to require an adjustment period.
Every inch of our isolated campsite was powdered with dust. Rain hadn't made it over the mountains in months, and the only creek in the area was closed to camping. Chris and I cringed when we turned our little ones loose from the safety of their car seats. Not only did they promptly sit right smack down on the ground without a care as to how much grit got into their shorts, but they then found sticks with which they could stir up a blizzard of dust. Did they not consider itchy eyelids, black boogers, or crusty butt cracks? Had they no concern for the sanctity of the sheets we all had to share?
“This is vegetable soup!” Rita beamed, teeth already rimmed in grime, as she added bits of grass and pine needles to her pothole.
Sophie tossed in a handful of sunbaked elk poop: “Tatoes!”
It took me about 36 hours of relentless nagging at the girls to keep clean before I gave up, exhausted. They were dirty, yes. Blotches of pine sap had glued crud to their hands, and twigs poked from tangled clumps of their hair. But they weren't puking or feverish or missing any limbs. They were alive, really alive. And it suddenly made sense that there was no better time or place to to let them go wild. |
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marybeth
outstepping
146 Posts
Marybeth
Washington
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2007 : 9:46:32 PM
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Oh so true , Jen. I remember all the fun stuff we did with my dad. In the river, climbing rocks, putting pennies on railroad tracks. Hiking the tracks, going behind waterfalls. I could go on. But then i grew up and had my own children and all of a sudden the river was way too swift, the tracks could have a train on it. (yes, that's not a real good idea) But we found lakes and lower rivers and learned to appreciate nature and not be afraid of it.
I used to take my little brother camping and taught him to pee on a tree, so he could go outside.(my mother would never approve) So he took it to the next level. He peed everywhere and showed people what he could do. Needless to say he was quietly taken aside and told the appropiate places to do his stuff. I always thought it was funny. But that's me. MB
Being outside is being |
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catscharm74
outbound
35 Posts
35 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2007 : 07:24:37 AM
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When I was little, my mom gave us some worn out camping items like a big tarp, rope, a stove (without the propane),etc. We set up "fort" down deep in the woods. We set up near the creek and covered the tarp with branches to disguise ourselves. We made "oatmeal" cookies with mud, red berries and shredded leaves. We even built a small "fake" campfire ring with rocks and used some large old stumps as seats. My mom came to check on us and brought us lunch outside in our tent. It was the best. I think that is what triggered my love of the outdoors.
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2007 : 5:26:29 PM
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| On the subject of peeing outdoors, my kids are pros! I used to HATE it, and I think it was due to some trepidation on my mom's part. My kids are so comfy with it that, if we're outside, they'll just squat in the yard rather than go inside. We don't really encourage it, but far be it from me to discourage it & make it into something weird! My 4 yr old is still in the go-everytwhere-naked stage, too. My 6 yr old has phased into clothes, for better or worse. I'm just hoping I can guide them through the rough waters of growing up a girl - wish they'd stay comfortable with their bodies forever. |
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marybeth
outstepping
146 Posts
Marybeth
Washington
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2007 : 10:41:15 PM
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I hear ya, Jen. I have four daughters. They are all grown now but growing up we tried to be natural about everything and not be afraid about talking about our bodies or dicussing or whatever. We lived out in the country on a dirt road so there usually was nobody around so anything goes...ya know. A funny thing happened when I just had the first two and they were probably 2 and 4 when a girlfriend came over with her two a boy and girl about the same ages, and we set up the sprinkler and off went the clothes but my girls balked at running around naked in front of those two. Totally funny....they were comfortable with their bodies but not those kids bodies. I still can picture them and it tickles me.
Being outside is being |
Edited by - marybeth on Apr 06 2007 10:42:21 PM |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Apr 07 2007 : 10:18:15 AM
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Mine are the same way, MB! When it comes to strangers (or even their own cousins who they see infrequently) they get a bit shy - seems no matter how much you try to keep them comfortable, nature and SOCIETY still have quite an influence.
Oh, I thought of another funny thing last night...Chris & I were camping with our girls in SERIOUS bear country out by Aberdeen, WA (where the rainforest has been mowed down & all that remains is an impenetrable tangle of brush). We'd talked a bit about bears during dinner because we suspected we'd been visited by a curious bruin who smelled our cookstove. So, then, in our tent in the middle of the night, Sophie (about 2-3) yells out, "I need my shoes!" In my sleep stupor I asked her why, and she said, "My shoes are outside the tent, and I need them 'cause there's a bear!" Clear as day, and SOUND asleep! Needless to say, it was a bit creepy at the time since she might really have sensed a bear in our midst, but we all laugh about it now! |
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Kids in the Wilderness: Funniest thing? |
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Funniest thing?
