When my wife and I started to have children we began to question how we wanted to raise our children. What was important to us? What type of education did we want them to have? What influences would we allow in their lives?
There were a few things we decided:
1) Travel and relationships were more important than buying stuff.
2) Education: Classical.
3) Influences: Nature.
The third one, nature, is key for us. It meant little to no screen time, no video games, no tablets, no vegging in front of a screen. What it did mean was a ton of experiences in the wilderness. Our first three children all climbed their first mountain in the Rockies at two years old. We wanted our children so comfortable in the forest that they would turn to the wilderness for their leisure time. Of course, this meant, as they got older, that they had to develop certain skills. So, we've been working on kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, back packing, snowboarding, x-country skiing, and archery. Hopefully, they'll keep going and learn even more!
The result: children that are creative. Children that run outside when it's pouring rain playing all sorts of games. Children that love the snow. Children that think and play and read and are down to earth.
My children aren't perfect (probably because our parenting isn't perfect), but they are great kids. They even get up at 6:30am, on their own volition, to run up and down hills with their dad. Now that makes fathering a joy!
Semper Fidelis,
Kenton