The Balancing Act

Being a parent, even one as uber manly and cool as I, is definitely not without it's challenges.  I know that every parent out there faces the same challenges that I do, or at least similar ones.  You know what I'm talking about - what's the right age for the first sip of Wild Turkey, how do you know when he's ready to light a fire himself, what's the right combination of timing, coaching and self-discovery so she can fully appreciate the total awesomeness of not only smoking a brisket, but then slicing it with perfection... You know, the typical challenges.  Oh, well, yeah, then there's the challenge of right from wrong, manners, courtesy, tying shoes, sound financial habits, and being happy, productive and well-adjusted.  One of the challenges I'm dealing with right now is around the outdoors and shooting sports.

I know, I know.  How could I possibly be facing any challenges with that, especially since I'm the Uber Manly Provider?  Well, as difficult as it is for me to admit, it's true.  While my formative years were fairly well rounded  involving reading, sports, Scouting, fishing, and occasional summers at the family farm or Christmas tree farm, there was an unfortunate hole around hunting and shooting in my education.  While I'm very interested in both now and spend quite a bit of time in the outdoors (aka hunting), I'm challenged on how to balance Buddy's growing interest with the practical side of things (No Buddy, don't pretend to shoot dogs).

So, what do I do?

I take Buddy out whenever he's interested in going with me.  On those trips, we identify animal tracks and um, other sign, trees, talk about what we see, fish, make casts of tracks, and collect feathers and other treasures.  I teach him safety and talk about what I do when I'm out without him.  The Little Woman and I make sure he knows what's okay when he's playing and what's not okay.  (For some reason though, she doesn't seem to think that he's old enough for his own Red Ryder 200-shot carbine action range model air rifle.)  It helps that I have family and several friends who've been hunting and shooting for a long time, and that I'm a hunter safety instructor.  I know that I will teach him the best that I can and that he will at least know how to be safe if he chooses to walk this path with me.

For now though, I must attend to another challenge we've been working on together and check to see if he's rebuilt that carburetor yet.