Reality check...

I was working on a deer hunting story this past Thursday and hoped to finish it up before the weekend. I ended up deleting it after the tragedy that happened in Connecticut. I sat back and realized that sometimes we as a society overlook the small things, especially our children. As outdoorsmen and women, sometimes our focus on getting out and hunting our favorite deer stand or duck hunting hole takes precedence over spending more time with our kids. I for one am guilty of that. When something like this happens in our country, all I can think about is my own two girls and how I would handle that situation. I can tell you that I never want to know. I do take my girls out hunting and fishing, but not as much as I should. Sometimes I even get aggravated when they don’t sit still or talk too loud. I look back at all those times and in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is spending quality time with those you love no matter if you harvest an animal or not. Today’s world is much different when I grew up. It is more fast paced than ever. Hunting and fishing have become more of a status thing. We want to kill the biggest deer or shoot a limit of ducks and more often than not exclude our children because we don’t want to deal with it or it's our time away from them, a break. The bottom line is spend more time with your kids. Do not get mad over the little mistakes they make. Hug them more often. Teach them, include them, protect them, and love them like there is no tomorrow.