fifteen

[rastaman]

Sounds like you guys have done well with each other!  Great post Greg!

[fujimo]

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.

[Bill Carlsen]

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.

[ron w]

2 years to fix all the things that are wrong with you....Gregg, will that be enough time....      

[tarponnut]

Great post Gregg!

[Joeabowhunter]

Really enjoyed that!!

[sunny hill archer]

[Bladepeek]

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."?

[Sean B]

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!

[Izzy]

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 ?    

[meathead]

I have all of the same problems with my 16 year old except he outshoots me too.  LOL

[gregg dudley]

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.      

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.

[Jack Guard]

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.

[elkken]

   Great post Greg ... They grow up sooo fast

[woodchucker]

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...

[Cyclic-Rivers]

[gregg dudley]

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.  

[Izzy]

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.    

[Steve O]

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!

[b.glass]

Excellent post! Your son reminds me so much of my 15 year old and his brother. Your post brought tears to my eyes.