OUTDOOR PARENTING 101 - WITH JOHN E. PHILLIPS, JR.
Realize Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
 EDITOR'S
NOTE: All of us want the best for our children and want
to spend as much time as possible with them. My now-grown
son, John, has written his thoughts about the importance
of outdoor parenting, and I wanted to share them with
you. After hearing John’s recollections about
our time spent outdoors, I realize that sometimes we
don’t recognize the value of an outdoor heritage
or understand what time outdoors means to the young
people involved or how it impacts our children.
While in my early teens, my Uncle Archie would say,
"John, I know you won't always be my hunting buddy.
The lure of perfume and gasoline will take you away
from me. I'll lose you for a few years to girls and
sports. But then one day you'll come back to your love
of the  outdoors
and hunt with me and your dad. Then you will love hunting
even more." He was right. I took a break from hunting
and fishing in the middle of my teenage years - not
by design but because my priorities had changed. So
involved with sports, school, work and girls, I lost
my zest for hunting and fishing. My father sensed my
dilemma and gave me time to pursue other activities.
When I went to college, I realized I was missing out
on some great trips and enjoying my dad's words of wisdom.
Since I was older and more mature, I began to invite
Dad to go on trips with me. We would fly-fish for panfish
at the local river, squirrel hunt with my uncle or go
deep-sea fishing on vacation. My love for the outdoors
returned stronger than ever before. As an adult, I took
my dad on these adventures and did most of the driving,
often mainly to talk to him about  how
to raise my family or what decision I needed to make
at work. Nothing had changed. The outdoors was just
as good a tool for me to have quality time with my dad
then as it had been for me when I was younger. I also
could prepare myself for the time when I took my children
hunting and fishing with me.
Today, the scenery has changed from those deserted
back-country roads we once traveled to a busy metropolitan
city’s four-lane highways. Now I have a precious
2-year-old daughter, Emma Grace, who loves to fish and
wants to go with her Daddy every afternoon to our neighborhood
lake that’s filled with all kinds of fish. My
wife and I are expecting a son before Christmas. When
my dad and I travel to an adventure, he’ll be
awake and snacking on some cookies my wife's made once
we reach its end. He’ll open the trunk when we
stop, collect his things and wave goodbye as he heads
inside. Pulling out of the driveway, I realize, that
like my dad I want to make the most of my time with
my
children ...
* giving them opportunities to learn and grow in the
outdoors,
* teaching them how to respect nature and how to find
their direction, and
* sharing my advice on life and happiness.
I'm sad when I'm leaving my dad, but then I realize
this trip isn't the end. We'll have many more trips
and other chances for us to connect in the outdoors
and learn more about life and each other. When was the
last time you spent quality time in the outdoors with
your son, your daughter, your grandchild, your niece,
your nephew or a young neighbor friend? Remember it
isn’t your money that they want and need the most
but rather you and your time.
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