I don't know if it's an Ohio thing, or maybe a rural thing, but Isaac has been interested in hunting from day one. It's hard to believe that he went from this......
....to this, in only a few short years.
Tonight when Jeff brought out his crossbow, Isaac was right there. He absolutely would not be denied a chance to target shoot. So he did it, with minimal help from dad. And he did well. Very well.
Initially, I thought riding the 4-wheeler that was hunting's main draw for Isaac. You know, the idea of hanging out in the woods with Daddy and Papaw, drinking hot chocolate out of a thermos, wearing camouflage clothes. That sort of thing. But no. Isaac wants to hunt. He's been learning how to shoot and now that he's a big boy, he wants to go out in the woods and get himself a deer.
And if that isn't enough, my darling, tiny, little Tinkerbell wants to hunt too. Not to be outdone by Isaac, Mara insisted that she have a chance to shoot Daddy's crossbow too. She's so short it took Daddy holding the crossbow, Mommy aiming it and Mara firing it, but by golly, she hit the mark. Collectively, she hit the mark, that is.
For some reason, Mara is the one who unnerves me. She's so beautiful and tiny, with her flyaway hair and big blue eyes. And Mara has absolutely no Disney/Bambi misgivings. She knows the order of things; deer are food and they're 'dewishious'. She keeps telling us that she's going to wear her pink camo long johns and shoot some deer jerky.
Part of me feels sort of weird about all of this.
Not because there's anything inherently wrong with hunting; but maybe because it's so out of the norm for this day and age. If my kids sat around watching TV, playing video games, texting and skate boarding, it wouldn't be so unusual. But hunting, how many kids do that?
I said part of me feels weird. The other part of me is pleased about it.
I'm pleased that my kids are developing a realistic view of the world. They don't have a warped sense of the pecking order that God has established, courtesy of stupid cartoons and liberal main-stream media.
I'm pleased that at a very young age, my kids are learning to respect firearms. They know they're loud, they know they kick and they know they completely destroy anything they hit. At this point, they have a good healthy fear that's going to make them think twice before playing with guns.
And I'm very pleased that my kids are learning skills that many adults have never learned. These basic life skills may prove invaluable to them one day, especially when you consider the state of the world.
So, I may not be popular for encouraging my kids to hunt. I'll probably not win "Mother of the Year". I may offend your delicate sensibilities by suggesting that deer aren't the cute, sweet doe-eyed little creatures that cartoons make them out to be. And I'm fine with that. I've never been politically correct before and I don't intend to start now.
Deer burgers, anyone?
9 comments:
I would say any mother who allows their kids this great opportunity should win the "Mother of the Century" award! Never apologize or be tempted to be politically correct for raising your children the way God intended. We are to "take dominion" of the earth and that definitely includes killing for food.
You have my utmost respect.
Thanks for the encouragement, Joe. In the past year, I feel like my vision has narrowed/focused and I have a much clearer idea of what I want my kids to do and know. Hunting, shooting, cooking, gardening are right up there at the top of the list. I'll not raise a brainless nincompoop.
You never hear of a kid going postal in a school that was a hunter being raised around firearms and taught how to use them. It's always the ones who were raised on video games who never really saw the effect of firearms on flesh and blood that do all the damage. You have a different outlook when you see first hand up close what a firearm can do to flesh and blood. A good lesson for all kids in my opinion
Thanks for the comment, Anon. What we've noticed over the past year is that before we allowed Isaac to handle firearms, he was obsessed/fascinated with them. Once we allowed him to shoot a couple times, it's no big deal to him. Maybe that's why kids go postal and grab a gun....frustration + the forbidden fruit?
That is precious,if she shoots some jerky I would love a pound of it myself please. Andrea you an Anon nailed it.Kids who shoot and handle guns.Know not to point them at friends or to show off with em.Sounds you and Hubby are doing a great job with em!
China
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If Mara bags a deer, I'll be sure to send you a sampler. We get some of our venison turned into 'hunter sticks' which are a non-greasy version of a Slim Jim...and OMG are they good!
Good for you and your better half teaching them important things.
My three oldest all shot their first deer and turkey when they were 6 or 7. #4 can't wait to go and may get her chance at 5. Technology has ways of making deer rifles usable even by the little ones. Hunting is a big production in our house and we haven't bought beef in years except when in-laws were visiting. We gave some venison away last year because we couldn't fit it all in the freezer. I've found that the damage caused to deer by firearms causes the kids to respect firearms more. I show them the damage and tell them to imagine that happening to a member of the family. I use cleaning animals as a sort of advanced anatomy lesson, too i.e. here is the heart, do you remember what the heart does? Etc.
Be sure to post about their first success.
We're not hunters either, although all of us know how to handle a gun. My kids are quite good at target shooting, and if they should ever need or want to hunt, they'll have the skills.
All 3 of our kids love to hunt yes even our girl. She loves to go out and see the wildlife and get close to nature. We eat what we hunt with the exception of her. She is our almost vegetarian. But everyone else enjoys what everyone brings home.
Let them hunt its a skill for life!! can't wait to see the pictures of the game they harvest!
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