However, I am very excited to have Alyssa from The Kid Project on the blog today guesting about climbing. Previously, we had Justin on the blog with his own tips about taking your kids rock climbing. Alyssa now adds her own twist and personal family experience. Again, climbing is not something we have done (yet) with our own kids, so I am learning here too (which is what I LOVE about having guest posters on the blog!) As always, check out her bio at the end and feel free to leave her feedback in the comments.
People
ask us when we started climbing. They ask us when our kids started
climbing. Sometimes they don’t ask, they say rather emphatically, “you
cannot rock climb AND have young kids. It doesn’t work.” And if I take a
good hard look at having young kids and I am honest, then I will openly
admit it is really hard. Draining, exhausting, astonishing, confusing,
and abundant in dysfunction. I can see why they told us “it cannot
happen.”
When our first baby was born, I was told over and over, “get ready for some major life change, honey!” Vomit. While it was true, the lie hidden underneath their exasperated tone was that all I loved and enjoyed was about to be slayed on the proverbial altar. And I believed them. And my life was a like a self full-filled prophecy.
But as the joy ebbed out of our lives, my husband and I decided to make a change. We needed a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively. For us it was climbing, camping, skiing- the active things that reminded us of the beauty of creation and the fun of having a family. It was “sink or swim” time. You either figure out how to bring the kids along, or you don’t. Simple as that.
When our first baby was born, I was told over and over, “get ready for some major life change, honey!” Vomit. While it was true, the lie hidden underneath their exasperated tone was that all I loved and enjoyed was about to be slayed on the proverbial altar. And I believed them. And my life was a like a self full-filled prophecy.
But as the joy ebbed out of our lives, my husband and I decided to make a change. We needed a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively. For us it was climbing, camping, skiing- the active things that reminded us of the beauty of creation and the fun of having a family. It was “sink or swim” time. You either figure out how to bring the kids along, or you don’t. Simple as that.
So...back to those original questions:
