Barking Space

My Kid Would Probably Hear It First

Have you ever looked at your child, and felt a twinge of jealousy?

I look down at little J and marvel at all of the opportunities that she has that I never did. This is in no way me tooting my own horn, either; really it’s about how much more is available to her in general due to the way we have grown as a society; my first camping experience, for instance, was when I was 14; I first tried sushi when I was 20. Our kids have a great deal accessibility to everything, much more than we ever did.

This isn’t always a good thing, though; more access means more ways to pass off the responsibility of being a good parent.

This is something that Mrs. J and I try to avoid. Certainly, we let the squirt watch a little TV from time to time; allowing some face-to-face time with Sid the Science Kid while we get dinner ready, for instance, is a good way to occupy her until she is ready to help out (which she actually does sometimes).

A recent camping trip really made me feel happy with how she is growing up. Other than her skittishness about certain insects (flies: freakout; arthropods:cool!), she is fearless, and endlessly curious about everything.

We took her on some relatively large hikes (for her). The first trail was essentially flat, but we taught her how to pick a trail without really disturbing the wilderness; the rule is: as long as she’s within view, and not destroying any foliage or tromping on wildlife, she’s good. She got the hang of this pretty quickly, and demonstrated this on our second hike that was mildly challenging in some places.

I can’t wait until next year!

Filed under: Anecdotes, Interest, Ponderings | Tagged: Camping, Kids, Responsibility, Television |