Page 41 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2021

Teaching Kids About the Outdoors Creates Bonding Experiences
everything a fun learning experience for
the children.
Dad would much rather watch a child
catch a tiny bream than for himself to land a state record largemouth. When I was a young child, he spent uncountable hours tying on and baiting hooks, untangling knots and unsnagging baits, and seldom even picked up his own rod to make a cast.
Many sportsmen today don’t understand this philosophy. They want to catch
sh more than they want to take their children shing. Every time a child does something wrong, they yell at the youth. Who would want to go through a day like that? Instead, calmly teach children how to do things correctly at their level, but don’t do everything for them. Let young sportsmen learn by doing it themselves and even making mistakes as long as they
don’t harm themselves or
others.
Keep it simple with youngsters. Start
them shing with an old cane pole or cheap child’s rod that won’t cost much
to replace if the child breaks or loses it. Dangle a worm or cricket under a bobber to sh for bluegills until the child learns more advanced techniques. In salt water, a piece of shrimp threaded on a hook and dropped down next to a bridge or docking piling doesn’t take much nesse and could result in a child ghting a large, powerful sh.
Make everything a fun adventure and don’t stay out too long. Children easily grow bored. To keep things exciting, let children chase frogs on a shoreline or scoop minnows with a net if they wish. Keep them active and involved in some type of activity. Let children experiment and use their imaginations. At their age, it’s not really about catching a limit of
lunkers, but landing a load of memories. If they catch anything, that’s a bonus. Besides shing, adults can pick many other outdoors activities to share with
their children. Dad always tried to turn every trip into an exciting adventure, even if we just walked along a neighborhood street looking for toads on a hot summer night. Take children for hikes in the woods. The Mississippi Gulf Coast o ers many places where people can take
a short stroll through varied habitats without expending too much money, time or e ort. Along the way, observe the birds and animals. Teach children about the habits of these creatures.
Spending time with young children takes e ort, sacri ce, patience and frequently, frustration. However, a parent will never meet a better shing companion than one created over time – the most precious, fragile and unforgiving of all gifts.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net April 2021 | 41
Richard Crandall and his son, Richard, show o a largemouth bass.
Taylor Whitted shows o a channel cat sh.