It’s something you used to see a lot more of. Yet in most places across the country, fishing is a hobby that is less and less shared in the family. But there are plenty of reasons you should consider getting in the car with your kid and heading out to the waters.
Get them outside
Now, there’s a lot of argument on whether or not our kids are spending too much time in front of the screen. The psychological impact is yet to be fully determined, and it might have some benefit in healthy doses. But we would all feel a bit more comfortable with seeing them spend some time away from monitors. Fishing isn’t the only way you can get them away from screens and out into the light. But it’s a good way to get some fresh air and make sure they’re not getting vitamin D deficient.
Getting healthier together
The vitamin D isn’t the only aspect of fishing that’s good for you either. There’s little more inspiring than a parent and a kid getting fit together. Fishing is surprisingly a great low impact exercise and is also a good way to work on fine motor skills. Those are important for developing a more dexterous child, as well as ensuring that you keep your hand-eye coordination and strength in your grip in your later life. It’s good to simply get away from the air pollution of cities and towns from time to time, as well.
Teaching competence
As a culture, we have a problem about how we teach skill. If it isn’t a sport and it’s not something in school, a lot of parents disregard teaching their children about competence. The simple notion of learning new things and tackling challenges together is an important part of a kid’s mental development. Fishing can be a great way to teach that competence. Check out this article on fly fishing rods to see the kind of intricacies you could both be learning together. Developing skills early means it gets a lot easier to develop new ones later in life, too.
Engaging the environment
Getting out in the sun is good for more than vitamin D. We are all becoming a lot more aware of how tenuous our environment’s status quo is. It’s an understanding that we should be teaching to the next generation early. The sooner we get the idea of green living in their head, the better. Fishing is a great way to demonstrate the ecosystem, its gentle balance, and the kind of impact that people can have on it. Teach them to respect their environment by getting up close to it.
There’s no way to know whether or not fishing will take with you and your kid. However, even if it doesn’t, it’s a good idea to foster that personal bond and find something you can share together. Less and less, parents are focusing on solidifying their bond with their children as they grow. That doesn’t bode well for any of us.