Going out of state and family priorities?

[NV HUNTER]

It's a really tough question to answer. Every family dynamic is different.

My daughter loves sports, did everything and in middle school was told we now pick 1 and that's it. She also went to private school and private college prep high school. She graduated with a 3.4 and received a scholarship to play softball. She decided to go to a DII school and have a good balance of school and ball.

I had 6-7 years of no out of state or more than 2-3 day hunts. I never missed games or school activitys. That is what our family choose to do.

Like I said every family dynamic is different. I am 44 my daughter is a sophomore in college, I have plenty of hunting time . Doing 2 doe antelope hunts and a cow elk hunt this year.

 

[muddydogs]

Seems to me that a guy that gets up and goes to work everyday to support his family, hauls the kids to this and that shouldn't fill guilty taking a couple weeks off of life to go hunting. If the wife and kids can't handle Dad being gone for a week or two then they aren't being raised right. Of course mamma needs some time to do what she wants as well every once in a while. Keep putting off hunting trips because you think life stops if your not around and you just might end up dead before you get to do any hunting.

 

[*zap*]

Go hunting…..kids will be fine.

 

[Billinsd]

Kids sports is so funny. ...great...but funny.

Sports are so competitive around here its crazy. 60 boys trying out for the HS Freshman baseball team...and they are all good....REALLY GOOD. All have coaches on the side [some to the tune of $1600/mo] pony league teams, etc.

Its not like when I was in HS and could have made ANY of the varsity teams...things have changed.

I can tell you that a lot of these kids burn out at 16-18 years old. Just saw that with a couple friends graduating girl and boy. The boy could have played waterpolo at one of 3 schools...decided not to take any of them and stop playing. The girl had full ride offers for D1 soccer.

Every starter on our local girls HS Varsity soccer team has been offered a scholarship- for about the last 10 years straight. A bunch of those girls burn out and quit.

....

I'd say in general kids sports can be awful and apauling! At least my local Little League was. Girls softball was better. The competitive swim club my daughter has been going to for years is fantastic!! Run well, great coaches, push hard but don't burn out kids. Some sports at my daughter's high school, like softball and baseball are high, high, competitive. If your daughter isn't on a travel team, don't waste your time trying out on a Freshman team I was told. Volleyball is also highly competitive. Soccer probably too, but my kids were never interested : ) Water polo, Swim, cross country? You are all welcome, come on in everyone, you will all play!!! : ) However, Varsity is tough, no matter which sport. I'm fine with that. My daughter wants to letter in swim next year and she's on year round swim club. That's the only way for her to get there. She's decided on her own to want to letter.

As far as missing your kids games? Like others said it depends on your kids. However, it depends more on your wife, she's your partner. It's easier for me as my kids have gotten older. They know how much I've sacrificed for them. They witness everyday the good thing we do for them, especially if they don't like it. They know I want what's best for them and am doing everything I can for them and their future and that I do make mistakes. My son tells me every few days how much he appreciates what I do for him, especially education wise and my daughter too as well as how I annoy her, then I tell that's my job, lol. In my family's eyes I've earned the right to miss some of their events. Bill

 

[Mosby]

I think it depends on the sport. My daughter played tennis but just at a local level and my wife would drive her around, as needed. She was not much of an athlete and school was more important than sports and tennis didn't interfere with much.

My oldest son wrestled at a national level. He traveled to a lot of national tournaments and hunting season is right in the heart of wrestling season. Often times I was his coach, driver, nutritionist, psychologist and just dad. He worked out just about 7 days a week and traveled with club programs all over the country, so I gave up hunting trips to be with him and just hunted locally when I could. I went back to big hunting trips when he was done. I never regretted it.

 

[Antarctica]

Please print out these thoughts and hang them in your nursing home room when your kids don’t visit 6 months out of the year.........

Ain't gonna be no nursing home bro...

 

[Boarmaster]

Long answer. I played competitive basketball from 5th grade thru division 1. It taught me how out of balance a kid's life can be with sports. We raised our two kids with an emphasis on school work and they had to choose one sport to play. One chose golf, the other volleyball. Both played thru high school and did not participate in any kind of travel teams. I was also given the advice to purposely miss some games to prove that the sports were not that important. It was about them, not about us.

Both kids made outstanding grades, got academic scholarships, and went on to graduate college with excellent degrees. Both kids had the time to hunt and fish all through high school and love it to this day.

So my answer. Hunt all you want in the fall. Attend as many games as you can along the way. And do not toss away your life running kids to sporting events 12 months of the year. Because if your goal is for them to have a sports scholarship, as a previous D1 player, it is doing them no favors.

Simply my experience and others may strongly disagree. Its all good.

This mirrors my feelings. I played and represented my school in many sports and other organizations. I always felt I would have enjoyed it more if we didnt practice everyday. I went to a single A school so not that big time competitive. We could hardly field a football team. I played varsity both ways and on every special team from the time I was a sophmore until my last senior game. I set out only ten plays that whole time due to a minor knee injury. I dropped out if basketball because I didnt enjoy it as much as baseball and football and my Dad owned a business I could work after school. Just too much every day and evening. I wouldn't press my kid if I had one to play. But they would be needing to do something other than video games and laying around the house. Thats for dang sure.