Take a Kid Fishing

As a true skinflint, I make every effort to live as economically as possible. Let’s be realistic, in today’s economic times you would be hard pressed to say it’s a good idea to just throw money away. “Spend nothing” was the motto of one of my best college professors. Despite his striking similarity in appearance to Gene Wilder’s Willie Wonka he did teach me the need to be fiscally sensible as we can never foresee what is coming down the pike. Examples of such surprises are the housing crash and the introduction of certain ludicrous health care legislation, which further deepened the woes of a recession ravaged lower class in America.

Regardless of who, what, where, why, when, and how the people need to go on. We, the greatest society the world has ever known, simply tighten our belts and stubbornly trudge on. The choices are limited for any of us in the American workforce who have children. We can either let the hard times bring us down or we can make a go of life.

Still, we can look in all corners of our society and see the damage done. Cases of drug and alcohol abuse are on the rise. Divorce rates seem to be on the rise, and a good number of those who don’t get divorced are utterly miserable. Home ownership is still possible, but it’s a lot trickier than it should be. People are getting older, working more hours, and receiving less pay and benefits. Then our dear working class gets to see our very own President say how much good he’s done for us.

Then in the midst of it all is the children of these unsung, working-class, war-time veteran, single-parent, bill paying, overworked, underpaid, no free time, need a vacation type people. Sadly, we see a hundred, or even a thousand people speak out to save the whales, but few pay real attention to the youth in our society today. Who can blame these people? It’s not like the companies who drive our citizenry offer the same benefits they did years ago. Even the organizations that offer paid leave for illness or vacation set their policies so said paid leave is nearly impossible to use. It’s almost like giving a starving person a picture of a pizza.

Nobody can really offer an answer to this dilemma with the way things are presently, and it’s not my intention to make everything about politics. God knows that’s how we got in this jam to begin with. But we do need to make more of our lives about our kids. We have the time to do it. Sadly, we just don’t know we have the time to spend with our kids. I’m not talking about a Disney vacation with all the lights and distractions. Nor am I talking about going somewhere peaceful and letting your child paste their nose to one of those dreadful hand-held devices.

What I’m talking about is taking a little time as often as you can throughout the week and spending it outside with your kids. Take a walk, ride your bikes, throw a ball, go bird watching, go fishing, go hunting, have a healthy picnic, take a hike, build a snowman, build a tree fort, go swimming, or even take an overnight camping trip. Who cares what you do as long as you do something. There are a lot of parents who try, and deserve to be commended. There are a lot of parents who want to, but don’t have the means. They deserve to be commended and supported. Then there are parents who could care less, and there is no excuse for that.

If you want the greatest return on any investment it would be the investment you make on the little boogers who draw on your walls and trash your house from time to time. The greatest happiness you’ll ever find is taking your kids out and showing them how to be happy and healthy. More importantly, getting kids away from the television, xBox, PlayStation, internet, Facebook, or any of their electronic gizmos will help build them in so many ways.

Since we at Skinflint Outdoors are more about hunting and fishing we’ll start there. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from being a true outdoorsman. Many in the anti-hunting/fishing community think it’s all about killing. Those of us who’ve done it all our life know that couldn’t be further from the truth. Being a fan of Theodore Roosevelt, we can see the heart that is developed in the outdoors. We, as humans, are the ultimate predator. But that capability doesn’t define us unless we allow it to. It takes more heart and discipline to show mercy and look to conservation than it does to simply kill.

For those who don’t prefer hunting and fishing as your preferred pastime, there are still the same lessons about having heart that can be learned. Jay Cutler once said “while you’re quitting someone else is still going.” So it’s not even to say you NEED to be outside, but you need to be up and active to learn that sense of determination and strength. Just as Jay Cutler was driven to win the Mr. Olympia title four times, any young child can drive themselves to do great things. So essentially, it’s safe to say the best gaming system, nicest clothes, and easiest lifestyle don’t do as much as taking the time to work as a family to strengthen the heart of your children.

An active, outdoor based, lifestyle can also increase a child’s physical fitness. Studies have shown one out of every three children in America can be classified as obese. Beyond children, we the parents aren’t doing a whole hell of a lot better ourselves. It’s depressing to think we are vicariously being fat through our children, but that often seems to be the case. I’m sure I don’t need to list the other health problems that can come from adolescent obesity. But, I will anyway.

Aside from, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure there is an issue with a child suffering persistent weight control issues as they grow into adulthood. While all of the afore mentioned conditions are not guaranteed to occur, their probability increases as a person continues to live with an unhealthy lifestyle. The Center for Disease Control has surmised that as little as one hour of moderate physical activity per day can be a major factor in controlling obesity in American youth. Further, the establishment of a healthy lifestyle at an early age can help you insure your children will have a happier and healthier life. You definitely want that as a parent, as these will be the people picking your nursing home.

The physical benefits of sending your child outside is the obvious increased level of fitness. In addition to giving you time to clean up their mess in the house, the exposure to sun and fresh air can raise their levels of vitamin D. This increase in vitamin D production can help them avoid certain bone issues, as well as heart disease, diabetes, and any in a plethora of other health issues. Finally, exposure to the sun can help a developing child improve their vision and avoid nearsightedness.

Being outdoors also has a profound effect on a child’s mind. Studies have shown children show actual signs of stress reduction within minutes of being exposed to a green landscape in the outdoors. A survey published on The Nature Conservancy website said 90% of children polled stated being outside helped them relive stress. The same study also stated 71% felt peaceful being outside.

But there’s still other undeniable evidence of the positive impacts of youth being outdoors. Several schools that offer an outdoor based environmental education program scored higher on standardized tests in math, reading, writing, and listening. Similar studies have found that environmental based education can improve test-taking and critical thinking skills. So, better health and better academic performance. Not too bad, but there’s still more.

Studies have also shown positive cognitive improvement in youth exposed to the outdoors. Youth who are allowed or encouraged to be active have shown higher levels of cognitive development. What this translates to is a reduction of symptoms for diagnosis such as ADHD and other emotional disorders. In a nutshell, loss of free time and a rushed lifestyle which so many of us live are contributing factors to anxiety and depression which can become increasingly disruptive as a youth develops. So, while your boss is demanding we work overtime our children’s brains are being turned to pudding by that xBox we got them for Christmas.

Which leads us to the issues we see in a generation of youth raised with their nose glued to a game system rather than in the outdoors. American children spend an average of forty-four hours per week in front of some form of electronic screen. Over the past twenty years there have been an alarming rise in cases of obesity and psychotropic drug prescriptions to adolescents. Add all this in with the afore mentioned issues we the adults face and we begin to see a clear picture of what our children are potentially facing in the years to come.

There are also social considerations to pay attention to when driving your family towards a more active lifestyle. The matter of social acceptance is profound when concerning the development of youth in society. I had a vegan “acquaintance” at one point who was dim-witted enough to suggest it is better for kids to run the streets and use drugs than it was for them to take the life of a poor, little, innocent animal. This startling notion was put forth when she was faced with data suggesting the benefits of an outdoor lifestyle.

While I tend not to be engrossed with the mental diarrhea of the self-righteous fools in society, I was struck with an idea that prompted research. As it turns out, this “woman,” along with many others, has become a victim of the advertising machine in America. Simply stated, there are millions and millions of dollars to be made off game systems. These game systems are advertised on television shows and the internet, which again stands to make millions of dollars.

When we follow the money we begin to see it is not fiscally advantageous to the gaming industry for our kids to leave the house. They cover their tracks by giving us the Wii and saying it encourages kids to be more active. I still remember that commercial and thought that the only ones who truly benefit from the gaming industry are the gaming producers and drug dealers. Admit it, somebody had to be stoned with they came up with that piece of advertising garbage.

Some of these very same game systems have been studied and found to have a desensitizing effect on the youth who play them for prolonged periods. They can alter the very thought pattern of a subject to make them react more aggressively or without concern for the parameters of living in the real world. So you don’t believe me? You can look up Dave Grossman’s book, On Killing. It talks all about the psychological value of learning to kill. Then you can research further and find that the United States military is actually using video games to train soldiers to kill.

While I’m not saying every kid who has ever played a video game will become a serial murder or drug user, I am saying the end results of negative influence from communication devices coupled with the health problems associated with being sentient are not something any good parent would want their child  to suffer. If you were to ask most professionals in the juvenile justice field they’ll tell you the three contributing actors to delinquency are lack of funds/means, lack of education, and lack of parental supervision or involvement.

So what do we do about it? No matter what your budget is there is always something you can do with your kids that involves more than leaving them to their own devices in front of the video game. The internet is a great source of free activities you can do with your child. If all else fails, your local law enforcement, fire department, church of your religious preference, or education administration will be able to provide you with budget friendly resources allowing your child to make the most of their potential.

There are also a number of private organizations which can help with structured activities. The Boy Scots of America and the Girl Scouts are everywhere. Such organizations can provide many good activities and lessons for the youth who join. Still other organizations such as the YMCA will have budget friendly programs for youth to participate in. Many local gun and bow clubs will also host events centered on children. An example of this is Ted Nugent’s Kamp for Kids. It’s a simple twenty-five dollar, per kid, admission for the whole day that would be big fun for your little house-wreckers.

The idea is to be a family. So often, we’re pushed away from that ideal. It is the job of us as parents in America to push back and take time and resources for our children. As morbid as it is to say, when we are laying on our death bed it will not be the CEO of our company or the boss we love so much that will be there for us. Likewise, our kids aren’t going to look to Mario and Luigi when they’re sick or hurt. I submit that we must be active with our children so the energy we expend can be used to build bonds that will be passed through the generations.

So to that end, being a skinflint means keeping as much of your hard earned money as you can. After you have it all safe and tucked away from the greedy folk who would take it you are then free to spend it having a good life with the ones you love. Investing time and concern in ones you love will turn out to be the best investment you will ever make. Hell, even Ebenezer Scrooge learned that little lesson.