I decided to introduce Randy to Geocaching. What boy wouldn't love to seek out hidden treasure? The cache we were seeking was hidden in the cracks of Stone Mountain.We arrived at the spot and did some searching. It didn't take us more than ten minutes to find the cache. I explained the game to Randy as I signed the log. He looked at the trinkets inside and decided there was nothing worth taking.
I took a sun catcher out of my backpack and placed it in the cache. Then I started to pack up. Randy protested. "I want that thing."
"It's been in a drawer for years at our house. I don't think we need it. I have three more like it at home."
He started crying, "I want that one." I desperately tried to explain to him that we were trying to share with others playing the game. He claimed a bad person would find it and smash the sun catcher.
His attitude continued to disintegrate. I snapped this picture of us with the cache.
I agreed that we would continue our hike and discuss the situation. At least that got him moving again. I didn't hear much about the cache until we were started down the mountain. Then the boy started getting crazy again. Crying and having a fit that he wanted the sun catcher. I offered to leave a yoyo from my bag in its place. He of course didn't want me to give up the yoyo.
He told me to erase my name out of the log, take my sun catcher back, and pretend we had never been there.
I distracted him past the turn off point leading to the cache as we continued to the bottom. Unfortunately the second half of our father/son hike was ruined by his fit. He wouldn't stop talking about it or crying about it.
Back in the car he continued his fit for about twenty minutes.
It will be a while before I even consider taking him on another geocache hunt.
It wasn't all bad, the happy picture at the top of this post was taken while at the top.
4 comments:
That's so funny! -Not to mention a classic kid moment. I bet you just can't wait for your next father/son adventure. I stick to easy stuff. Last Sunday I took the boy to a diner and bought him hot chocolate and pancakes. I'm not tough enough for tantrums at this present moment.
No matter how much of a pain kids can be don't forget to treasure these moments and who they are. Too quickly things can change and they grow up or go away. Looks like your trip was a good one and Randy will remember the good things about it. Maybe for Christmas you could out a suncatcher in his stocking
Randy is looking so grown up!
maybe next time he can pick out things that he would be willing to part with and leave in the cache, might be a little less traumatic for him and you.
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