What Will Your Children Teach You?
Guest Contributor /// Brad Christensen
I shifted, uncomfortably, in the saddle. Two hours into our ride in the hills above Topanga Canyon, my knees were stiff and my toes were numb. My fingers and arms were cold as I, in just a t-shirt, cursed myself for believing that all of Southern California would be warm, even in December. Still, somehow, the horse was managing to sweat profusely and the rank scent was all I could smell. I was 95% miserable.
Right about then, just as the sun cast its last rays of a warm, orange glow across the hillside, my eight-year-old daughter, a tiny thing atop a muscled white Belgian, turned to me and beamed her own ray of sunlight, “This is so fun. Thank you, daddy.” Suddenly, I was 95% delighted.
This was the surprise in our weekend agenda, a daddy-daughter animal extravaganza, centered around the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, all buttoned onto a Monday morning work meeting which was 50% obligation and 50% the excuse to make the trip.
It was chock full of the kinds of moments that make parenting worth all the challenges — terrorizing seagulls on the beach, sharing a waffle-sandwich on the promenade, her sleeping head in my lap on a plane flight. These are cherished experiences that help us forget the teary-eyed homework struggles, the tornado-aftermath bedrooms, and the toothbrush mandate showdowns.
My children are so alike in sharing their mother’s beauty and my gregariousness, yet so different in their interests. My other daughter cares little for animals, but is a dance diva and a fashionista. My oldest son hasn’t a fraction of attraction to sports, but is fascinated by politics while my second son could care less for all things political, but is a sports zealot.
These kinds of parent/child escapades haven’t only fueled my children’s individual interests, they’ve also given me more appreciation for a variety of experiences. On this trip I discovered my own intrigue with marsupial echidnas. On another I was awestruck to ponder the Jefferson Monument covered in eight inches of snow. While on yet another I found myself cheering for the Atlanta Braves. I’ve never even given a baseball game 5% of my attention. Sometime soon perhaps I’ll grow to understand the charm of Juilliard.
The point I’m trying to share is something of which I am 100% convinced: We need alone time with our children just as much as they need it with us.
In 2017, please join me in resolving to spend one-on-one time with our children. It is an opportunity to teach them, but more importantly, it is a chance to learn from them. What will your children teach you?
Brad Christensen is the father of four, an investment advisor, and a member of the Ammon City Council.
He and his wife, Nicole, live in Southeast Idaho but the world is their playground.
