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Curious Traditions
June 14th, 2009
Posted by mobile phone:
Some of my earliest memories are of my dad sharing in nature discoveries with me. If there were a racoon, snake, bobcat, or any number of wild beasties or interesting phenomena (doot doo do do do) my dad would call me out to see it.
I have tried to carry on this tradition of curiosity with my kids. We stop at historical markers by the roadside. We read the placards on the animal pens at the zoo. If we don’t know an answer to a question, we look it up and my wife and I teach them how to look stuff up as early as we can.
When we had a possum on our back porch the other day, I made sure that Girl2 got a good look before I carried it off into the wilderness and set it free. I have taught my kids that all life is to be respected, even life we intend to consume. We don’t kill purely for pleasure and we don’t allow animals to suffer needlessly. We will even stop to help a turtle across a busy country road. But only if we have hand wipes.
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Curious Traditions
2 Responses to “Curious Traditions”
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A lot of our friends have said they would love to go on a trip with us – but I have to warn them. If the trip planned usually takes 5 hours, we must allow at least 2 extra hours. It is amazing what you miss by zipping by at 70mph. Yes, we stop at all historical markers, sometimes just to watch animals cross the road, or view them at a distance. Doesn’t matter. It is all too wonderful to pass up.
I think this is awesome! When I was a kid, the only things my dad would intentionally include us kids with were things that we needed to know about that might harm us. I remember when my parents were building our house, and they had found several black widows in the property, but my sister and I had never actually seen one. So dad killed one once, and put it in a jar of some liquid (vinegar, paint thinner.. something that had a very strong odor!!) so that we could see what it looked like and see the markings up close and personal.
Road trips were always “hurry up so we can get there.” And we rarely stopped for anything other than gas and restroom breaks.
I think it’s great that you are sharing nature with Girl2… teaching her how to respect nature instead of being afraid of it, and how to learn more about things that she does not know. Kudos!!