IF YOU CAN'T RAISE A 9 YR OLD BOY - LET A MAN DO IT

From January 03, 2009 ON AIR JUDGE WYLD SHOW - Radio Talk
Excerpt from show prep notes. On air content may have been more or less. Not journalistic or debate notes.

A 9 YR OLD BOY, A HUNTING TRIP, AN HONOR

Now everyone who knows me who isn’t one of those who are controlled and whose households are run by the kids…… everyone who actually sees me with kids, knows what I do in the community with kids, how much time and finances are given to kids, everyone like THAT, tells me and tells others that I would be a GREAT daddy…. The most loving and caring and teaching person with kids.

So when a buddy, in his late 50’s, wanted to give his new ladyfriend's 9 yr old boy a useful Christmas present. He thought of me and pheasant hunting.

Single moms need a man to show their sons some man things. Serious man projects. Fixing bicycles or automobiles, going to tool stores, doing yard projects with a MAN.

Work the kid hard, get the kid dirty, and if you are doing it right, the kid will get hurt in some sort of way. It’s not only the end of the world to be dirty or be tired or hungry…it is expected of a man to even get hurt and live through it.

So the day before the hunting trip.

Myron and his ladyfriend and the boy came over to the Judge Wyld Estates…

Taught the boy how to be around the dog… that it was a real dog… no bad habits of petting if it runs up to you, etc….

Three safeties on the gun… first is the end of the barrel… second is the trigger… third is the manufactures safety switch on the gun…. Clear the shells out for vehicle.

The NEXT MORNING:

Heading out… 5am… eat eat eat… he was worried to death that the kid might complain to mommy that he was hungry during the day.

So instead of focusing on the project, they messed with food… and it’s hard to find.. the mommy packed everything in separate bags… GUYS toss it all in one bag… bananas can touch cookies and sandwiches….

For me… pretzels, apples, cookies, donut holes, cheese sticks, and hard boiled eggs… then the back up survival..packets of oatmeal and granola bars…

Anyway… 7 miles of walking… the kid did great after I warned Myron after having to stop many times in the first field that either he or I was going to teach the kid how to tie his boots …. So myron did.

Still no help in finding fields… like it was a pleasure trip with a tour guide… no way.. since we couldn’t sneak up on pheasants due to the noise and constant talking by the kid.

So I gave the map over to Mryon to take his focus off every comfort of the kid…. And myron didn’t want to think. But I insisted and finally myron picked a field… lousy field… you couldn’t hid a field mouse in that field. Sparse grass… my dog was confused… you want me to find something here? So I kept the dog on a leash so it wouldn’t chase rabbits out of boredom….

After that, Mryon and the boy understood the work involved and were more active in helping find the fields….. and I actually picked them. So we saw some more birds… missed a shot on one…

Final field was a big field… several valleys and ridges.. walk a mile over one ridge and valley, walk back in the next one over…. I hit a pheasant but couldn’t find it….

Finally told the boy that men experience things without making noises…. No oooooooo… ick… hey LOOK AT THIS!!!! Come here… see what I found!!! Deer poop….

Drove home 2 hours… in the dark… both myron and the kid slept all the way home.

Summary. Was a good day…the boy did great. We had shot at and hit one bird and we didn’t have to clean it. Most of all, The boy learned he can survive…long walk… hit in the eye by tall weeds, cuts on fingers from grabbing weeds that are sharp, sore feet, tired tired tired……and best of all… we didn’t have to use any of the toilet paper we brought….

I love kids… and we are given kids to teach them… god didn’t give us kids to spoil…. Or to meet our needs or even to meet the kid’s wants….

God gave us kids to teach until he takes over…then they aren’t ours any more… teach the kid to learn, teach the kid to take on challenges and survive. Explain things and then let them experience what you explained.

Let them fall behind, let them be hungry, make them work when they are tired, and most of all… give them rocks and sticks and dirt and wildlife to play with.

Give them God’s stuff…… not human’s stuff.

Merry Christmas… a real gift is one of your time teaching and your insistence…. If YOU wimp out, you have failed God…. You have failed as a parent if your kid isn’t ever hungry, or is never hurt, or is never challenged to survive.

Mryon…gave the best Christmas gift he could to the boy….and the single mom was sophisticated enough to understand it… For me… I cherish that they thought of me and trusted in me…. I was impressed with the boy. They were impressed with me. We all survived.

Sincerely, JUDGE WYLD