Daryl is absolutely correct we all should find a kid or someone and take them out whether it be fishing or hunting or camping. And not just to increase the interest and lifelong enjoyment of the outdoors! Increasing the numbers is one highly important part of why we should take a kid out, but being involved with kids all my life, I can tell you today more kids sit on the bottom end playing games on their phones or other technolgy hours upon hours upon hours almost daily.....resulting in less physical activity, becoming lax, less in phsyical shape and on and on.
Yea, there are many who do become involved in physical activities but let me tell ya many more today that don't. Physical Ed. classes have become more and more less physical orientated over the years and even in those classes one would be surprised how many kids today just can't handle it after a short physical activity!! Again, many kids can but many more can't!
So what's this have to do with taking kids out in the great outdoors?? There is not a better place for kids to learn to get along with others and themselves then taking part in outdoor activities....whether it be fishing, hunting or camping!! More about life can be learned in those activities then most any other place versus sitting on the couch hour afer hour after hour playing games and usually that is inside!!
Sunday my wife and taveled 100 miles explicitly to take our 3yr old and 4 yr. old grandsons fishing. We helped get thier daddy started in it this past Spring and now he akes the little ones out too . Sunday those two little guys had a great time catcing gills and even a coule bass...their eyes lit up like roman candles!! And their dad didn't want to leave after three hours and the little guys were dead beat!! And now they keep asking to get in Pa's boat and we are making arangmens for that soon!
We have ten grandkids and they all fish now except one who lives on the west coast and we can't get there enough and their dad doesn'tfish. But we send him his own rod/reel hoping he will find a way to get out and enjoy it and also hoping the hint to their dad will make a point with him!!
All the gradnkids have gottent heir first rod/reel from us and we take them as much as possible even the parens when they can go with us. We decided to forgo a long trip this summer and instead are renting a cabin locally so that all the kids and grandkids here except for the one on the west coast can be together and fish, boat and enjoy being outdoors. Since telling them they are all excited and can't wait!!
A week ago out 15 yr. old grand daughter ask me to take her fishing for "big" cats and how at camp this Spring she used her first open face spinning reel (we had gotten her a closed face earlier). So told her will take her to buy her a new open face...she said she loved using them and the only way to fish!! (She did tell me she saw some huge bass at camp about two feet long....didn't tell her quite yet they were carp so as not to squelch her interest yet).
All the grandkids have a nickname they have inherited based on fish they have caught. One is "Catfish Joe" another "The Bass Lady" "The GillMan" etc. and they love that!! We all have to do out part to make it the greatest ecxperience we can for them so that someday they too wil do the ame for their own kids!!
So yea,let's up the numbers to satisfy the NGPC but more importantly, for the kids and their lives not only now but for the future!! Get those kids out anytime!!
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