He is fifteen. If you were ever fifteen you know what I mean. Most of the time he tolerates me. I'm harder on him. I have less patience than I should. I expect too much. I'm Dad.
At 6'3", he is bigger than me. Smarter too as his grades and curriculum can attest. But I feel the clock ticking. I only have two years to fix all the things that are wrong with him before he goes to college.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/1-7.jpg)
Our days are regimented by work, school, football practice, boy scouts, homework, and chores. But then sometimes we catch a break. Like last weekend.
It was a three day hunt that we drew in the state lottery system. Archery. I scouted while he served his roles as student, boy scout, offensive tackle. I gave him the best spot. He shot under a pig. We laughed.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/4-3.jpg)
As I snapped this picture he headed out to his stand for the last evening's hunt. He's only got two years to fix all the things that are wrong with me.
Great post and pics! :thumbsup: :clapper:
Enjoy every minute.
We've all done it as kids I'm right your wrong so to speak once you hit 30 you say to yourself dad was right mom was right. Makes me smile just thinking about it. My son is 5 and shooting a long bow I'm trying to do him right. I guess when he is 30 and still asks advice you know you did something right.
Nothing better than spending time in the field with a young person!
Good stuff Gregg. You are a lucky man to have a partner like that to share time in the field with. (And to fix all the things wrong with you too! :biglaugh: )
Good post. Thanks for sharing.
Yup, been there. Good post Greg. :thumbsup:
Looks to me you don't have too many problems left to fix dad.
You've got him doing the right things and sharing those special times with him.
Excellent post!
you boys have fun....
Good for you two. My son left for college last year. Lost my best hunting buddy. Might be the reason I have barely hunted this year.
Great post from a very proud, but well centered Dad. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Excellent post by an excellent Dad!
Thanks for sharing!!
Great post. Enjoy.RC
Looks and sounds like you have done pretty well Gregg, I too have a 15 year old travelling much the same path. 6'2" 200 pound offensive tackle, most of the time knows it all, smart, follows politics and sports, wouldn't trade him for the world. I suspect you feel the same....... :thumbsup:
David
Great pictures ,good luck trying to fix him you better hope you dont get him mad :laughing:
Loved it,hopefully you can fix each other.
From one dad to another, I feel your pain and joy. I have 2 teenage boys and a 17 year old daughter at home. They are so precious until they hit "that age", and then we have so little time with them before they leave.
Funny thing is when they were very young and I was impatient with them for being children I always thought I'd be better with them when they were teenagers. Not so!
Relish every minute with your kids because before we know it, or are ready for it, they will be leaving to sew their own paths in life. We can never get the time back we don't spend with our families and we'll never be sorry for the time spent with them.
Looks like you two are doing good. Congratulations and good on you both!
K.C.
Wow really nice thread Gregg!
Sounds like you guys have done well with each other! Great post Greg!
gee i dunno you sound kinda selfish and crazeee!!
forcing him to do all those fun things an all :D
seriously though- whish i had a dad like you- that even thought as far as wanting to do something with me.
the older he gets , the more he will appreciate you.
There is nothing wrong with any 16 year old that getting older, finding a job and starting a family won't fix as long as he has the right values. In the final analysis you can only give your children two things....Roots and Wings. If you have supported him with an open hand rather than a tight fist he will be fine. You, on the other hand, probably won't know the good things you've done vs. the things you could have done better until he comes to you with questions about his own kids. Looks like you have done more good than "bad"....most 16 year olds won't let you take a pic. But he actually hangs with you. I'm not too worried about him.
2 years to fix all the things that are wrong with you....Gregg, will that be enough time.... :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great post Gregg!
Really enjoyed that!!
:thumbsup:
I believe it was Mark Twain who said "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."?
It aint gonna happen!!...2 yrs probably aint enough time to fix you. He's gonna be back from school one day, and your jaw is gonna hit the ground cause it'll hit you that he grew more into a man than when he left.
My son is going to be 26 next week and is going to be a father himself any day now, so lately, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on how far hes come. One chapter closes and another begins.
It looks like you're doing a heck of a job!
Greg my friend, surely you have made a lot of mistakes as a man in your life. For example, choosing Widows as your go to bow, leaning toward the outlandish, flamboyant side with your choice of fur hats but I can see your still a damn good dad. How else would you explain him not running away from home after seeing you in that hat ? :notworthy:
I have all of the same problems with my 16 year old except he outshoots me too. LOL
Thanks folks! Seems most of you got the message that I have a pretty neat kid if I can keep from messing him up too much in the time left to me. :D There are a lot of great fathers on this site. I try to be one of them. Some days I am better at it than others. Last weekend was a great weekend where I got most of it right. :archer2:
Hunting lets us have that time together where it is something we do together and shed a little of our strict identities as father and son. As hunters we treat each other a little different and are better for it.
Awesome thread Greg. I know well, from meeting you in Solana, Your children and wife are in awesome company.
Makes me realize just how little time i have too.
Thanks for sharing.
:thumbsup: Great post Greg ... They grow up sooo fast
I know EXACTLY what you mean, Gregg...
My oldest son Kevin, is 22, Graduated college last spring, out of the house and "on his own"... He's turned into a VERY FINE young man!!!!! I'm VERY PROUD of him, and I love him dearly!!!
He doesn't hunt anymore...
It wasn't anything I did, or didn't "Do"... I gave him all of the instruction, and encourage ment, that I could. It's just not for him. He finds hunting "boreing" LOL! But, That's Ok... I love him anyway!!!!!
His brother Tyler is 13... Now I have a second chance. It won't be easy, My wife and I are getting a divorce, and Tyler will be living with me. This will mean more responsability for Tyler, and more times that I will be on his case. But, then again... We will have more time together. He's already started, all I have to do is keep the fire burning.
Good luck to both of you!!!!! and Thanks for shareing...
:campfire:
I'm glad to know that my thoughts from the weekend hunt with Reed have struck a chord with so many of my friends here on tradgang. Somehow I knew they would. ;)
Gregg, I feel ya bro. Ive been doing a lot of looking back already even at my young whipper snapper age and I do declare, the time is "Not Standing Broadside" its just flying by.
Due to my oldest boy Noah having little desire to bowhunt Im "Forced" do immerse myself in gun hunting again this year, birds and deer with what little spare time we can scrounge up. Since I havent done it in a while, I thought there'd be no zing and zest to the season but I was wrong. Im finding that Im hunting for time with him more than critters and fortunately for me the huntings turning out just fine. We will be in the Adirondacks together this weekend for the gun opener together and I promise to leave my beloved longbow home, at least in the club house.
Enjoy that boy of yours, your doing fine it appears. What a gift they are. Lucky me, Ive got 2 of them to ruin. :campfire:
Gregg, I am 2 years behind you and in the exact same boat. Best we can do is give a good example and consistently force them to do the right thing in the right way no matter how many thousands of times we have to repeat ourselves :D
Keep up the good work!
Excellent post! Your son reminds me so much of my 15 year old and his brother. Your post brought tears to my eyes.
That boy sounds fine to me! :thumbsup:
Great post........ :thumbsup:
"Struck a Chord", Gregg says...... You described me and Mason over the past few years to a T Gregg. I could not have said it any better than you did bud.
We hung a stand in our 5 prong maple, ( the hardest stand to hang in the world ), and I am starting to feel old ! Maybe fat out of shape 48 year olds should let the 17yr old youngin's become the tree monkey...... :readit:
Roger Norris sent me a message with a link to a blog about sons and unnecessary noise. It is well worth reading. http://traditionalwoodsman.com/?p=297
Thanks for investing so much of yourself in him before unleashing him into my world.....especially when he is that size.
Great post I have two sons one is 17 and a Senior the other is 14 and a Freshman. Oldest loves to hunt stays out of trouble and is a terrible student! He tries but it wears him down...He loves to bowhunt! The youngest is a honor student and thinks hunting is boring but will bowfish some so we do that. I'm afraid I aint gonna fix the oldest in regards to academics but thats ok. The youngest may come around someday with hunting and fishing but if not thats ok too. Just teach them and make sure they know you love them. Thanks for the post Greg.
QuoteOriginally posted by Pete Patterson:
Thanks for investing so much of yourself in him before unleashing him into my world.....especially when he is that size.
:biglaugh:
You are welcome!
:laughing:
My boy is now a dad himself. He, too, is 6-4 and 245. Last year I pointed out my dead elk and said "fetch". You, sir, are in the cat seat. These youngsters are great retrievers.
He did tell me he had seen something that I never would. When askef what that might be, he said, " the top of the refrigerator".