10 Lessons From a Decade of Hiking with Kids

In the time before kids we'd spend many a weekend going for 10-14KM hikes with our friends. The spring and summer that I was pregnant with twins, that went on the back burner. Hikes with babies and toddlers were quite a bit shorter, timed for naps, and involved a baby strapped to each of our chests.

When the kids reached three to four we graduated to 2-3KM hikes without carriers, and by the time they were seven or eight we graduated to 3-5KM but never got anywhere near our pre-kid hiking adventures.

This past year we've turned a corner. We have been hiking more during COVID and our once upon a time 10 degree minimum temperature rule has been thrown out. We bought thermal socks and underwear and sucked it up. Hiking has been a good release and fun way to stay active. The kids rarely complain about a hike until we hit six or seven KM and I'm loving all of it.

While I'm happy to push all of us to the next level, longer, pre-kid level hikes, I understand that I need to balance this want to keep everyone happy.  Hiking with the family for years now has been a good reminder about making this activity an experience that all of us can enjoy, and I'm trying to stay good to my word, even though I'd love to start to tackle the long, long, hikes again. 

Hiking at Lynn Canyon in BC circa 2016

10 Important Lessons from a Decade of Hiking with Kids

1. Stop and let them climb that stump, tree, or rock
Hikes aren't about making the best time, they're about enjoying nature.

2. Teach your kids to keep their eyes to the ground, particularly on hikes with lots of rocks and tree roots
This will prevent tripping and allow them to find more wild life. We've seen plenty of frogs, turtles, snakes, slugs, and caterpillars thanks to little eyes on the path.

3. It's all about the snacks

Our kids love nuts, jerky, apple sauce tubes, crackers, and favourite fruit to nosh on when we stop at look outs. Stopping for snacks in 10 minutes can be a good motivator to get tired kids further along the trail.  Remember it's also about the water. There is nothing worse than running out of water, particularly when a hike lasts longer than you expect. Kids also backwash and no adult wants to have to drink that water, so bring your own bottles.

The early days of baby hiking

4. Play it looks like & get Counting

Rocks, trees, clouds, can all look like other things. Embrace the pareidolia and see who can find a face or an animal in something we come across on one of our adventure. We also like to count on our hikes. Sometimes it's types of birds or flowers we see, other times it's the total number of creatures we see. During some hikes we take bets and see who is closest. 

5. Practice Calculated Risk Taking

Let your kids climb like billy goats, jump over a crack (supervised) and teach them how to stay back from overlooks and obeying the signs around them. They get so proud when they climb down a giant rock or make it across a pond and I get proud of us grown ups for trying it too.

6. Nothing Beats a Post Hike Nap

I learned this before I had the kids. But I love the physical exhaustion naps that come after a long hike. I enjoy mine at home, while the kids usually have theirs in the car on the way home.

Molly being a bridge on a bridge at Rattray Marsh Last Year

7. Distraction is King

When it's buggy, you make a wrong turn, or it's rainy and miserable, you need to keep them distracted. Sometimes we tell stories, other times we play the alphabet game (Name Disney characters whose name starts with A,B,C, D until you make it all the way through the alphabet).

8. Let Them Share Their Enthusiasm

If you're on a hike and see something cool, tell other hikers as you pass them. They'll keep their eyes out and it helps build on the camraderie of the the hiking community.

9. Get Them Involved in the Planning Process
Find out which hikes your kids like best and why and plan more that meet that criteria, whether it's hikes with birds, waterfalls or caves. Let them know what excites you too.

10. Stop & Smell the Roses & They'll learn to do the Same

Last summer we went on a hike where there was an awesome waterfall. I wanted to swim in the bottom and no one else was interested, but I went ahead and did it anyway. The kids still talk about that time mom swam under a waterfall. This way when they want to stay at an outlook a few minutes longer or try something the rest of us don't, they won't let it stop them.

Happy Trails everyone! Remember, take only photos, leave only footsteps!

10 Benefits of Watching Degrassi With Your Kids

I was first introduced to the Kids of Degrassi Street and Degrassi Jr. High through my middle school Guidance Class. I always looked forward to day 4 on our time table to see what was next. Would Lucy shoplift again? Would Joey fail grade 8?  I was enthralled as we watched an episode and our lovely teacher, Mrs. Fern would talk us through what happened and the choices made.

As someone who has always enjoyed karma or comeuppance, and since the formula of Degrassi is essentially: Bad Choices = Worst Case Scenario Outcomes I was in heaven.

Image Courtesy of the Toronto Star

It didn't take long before I watched Degrassi at home, tuning in on Sunday nights at 930 with my little brother. 

When they launched Degrassi Next Generation in the early 2000's I also tuned in, even though I was in my early 20s. I was in my first apartment, without cable (and before online streaming) and able to access it thanks to it being aired one of the five channels I could get (albeit I watched it less religiously than when I was a tween).

I enjoyed the more nuanced approach to the Degrassi Next Gen formula, where comeuppance can be friends side-eying you, snubbing you, or kicking you off the cheer squad. Not every bad choice had the detrimental impact of a Choose Your Own Adventure novel, but some did.

When I saw that Degrassi Next Generation was airing, in order on TV, four episodes a day I decided that it would be fun to watch with Molly. The show's parental rating says it's appropriate for kids 8 and up and mature subjects are handled well. We started watching together this winter and are currently reaching the end of Next Generation and she's loved it. Even better it's gotten us talking about really important things, and she's asked if we can watch the series I grew up with when we're done Next Gen. I am fully on board!

Image Courtesy of Seventeen

10 Benefits of Watching Degrassi with Your Kids

1. This has become a regular bonding time for us both to enjoy.

2. Since her tweenage tendencies haven't kicked in yet, she's not afraid or embarrassed to ask me questions about the episodes, no matter what they are. And she asks some tough questions.

3. It encourages no risk problem solving. We often talk about what a character could have done differently and what she would have done. She can dive deep into these issues with no risk whatsoever.

4. Every action has a consequence, even if that consequence is just feeling like a garbage person. I know that kids experiment and that growing up, but a little fear in a world of online predators and fentanyl isn't a terrible thing.

5. It brings up issues that wouldn't come up in normal every day conversation. There aren't many opportunities to talk about cutting, teachers being bullies, or frenemies until kids are facing problems head on. Degrassi gives us these conversation starters. Vulture reported that Degrassi Next Generation covered 239 issues in their 12 season run covering everything from having a step-sibling to getting your period to cage fighting.

Image Courtesy of Vultre

6. The cast are real kids. While much of the alumni still acts, Degrassi has always been with real kids, close in age to their characters playing the part, not some established 25 year old actor with a six pack. This sets more realistic expectations for kids.

7. It shows that friendships change. Closeness, space, awkwardness, and redefinitions of friendship are normal, and this is showcased treally well.

8. Growing up, Molly knows our perspective on things. Degrassi provides different parental reactions, biases, and responses to real issues. 

9. Even when you make the right choice, things can go wrong. Having grown up myself in the sitcom age of TGIF programming, every tough day ended with hugs and a solution. Degrassi shows that even solid choices can result in hurt feelings and even more conflict, and that's a part of growing up.

10. It is a Canadian rite of passage. Who doesn't want to see baby Drake? 

Happy Mother's Day - I'm so sorry

It's been over a month since I last posted. Extreme lock down in Ontario hasn't given me much to write about. That being said, we're all managing to muddle through and are happy that it's starting to get warmer outside. 

Now, it's time for my annual Mother's Day Apology note to my own mother. I feel with over a year at home, working with my twins completing online learning I have a lot of inspiration to draw from. So, here we go.

Dearest Mom,

I am so very sorry for:

• Trying on clothes and immediately throwing them in the dirty laundry 
  
  
• Anytime I didn't go pee (or worse) before we left the house and created undo stress while you had to urgently look for a washroom (or in COVID times a jar or bag)
  
  
• Complaining that there's no food in the house the day after you go grocery shopping
  
  
• Talking to you incessantly when you are on an important phone call/meeting
  
  
• Busting into the bathroom when you are using it
  
  
• Leaving dirty cups like gross petri dishes to grow things in my room
  
  
• Insisting I have a favourite food, and then the second you buy it in bulk, refusing to ever eat it again
  
  
• Wiping my wet hands on a freshly painted wall
  
  
• Accidentally flushing the toilet when you're in the shower and burning you with scalding water
  
  
• The endless dentist appointments you had to sit through (and pay for), even the pre-braces stuff
  
  
• Replaying annoying songs on repeat, at full blast
  
  
• Acting like a hoarder who refuses to throw anything out, even if it's an old cereal box
  
  
• Not brushing my hair and then crying when you have to comb out the tangles
  
  
• Never clearing my dishes, despite being reminded
  
  
• Not saying thank you
  
  
• Not understanding the work it took to keep us safe, and it taking a worldwide pandemic to truly have this one hit home
  
  
• Any time you had to manage my disappointment when things got cancelled 

This past year taught me just how much you sacrificed when we were growing up to keep us happy. I am so thankful that you've managed to stay connected and involved with all of Molly and Jack, even though often times this past 15 months it's been over telephone, email, and zoom.

Happy Mother's Day! I love you!