Getting a kid out on the water can be a life-changing event!
“KIDS UNPLUGGED”
Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Aug. 3, 2012
What’s up with these kids? Am I the only one who’s noticed this?
Summer is on and we’ve got a lot of families arriving now for their summer vacations. All well and good. My wife and I always make a point of doing the meet-and-greet when they arrive from the airport and make sure we put faces with names and make sure they’re checked into their hotel rooms get a quick summary of things.
Big handshakes and hugs all around. It’s great to have families. And I know how important these vacations are. Not just to the families, but to mom and dad as well.
But, so many of the kids…when you reach out to shake a hand, act like they have never shaken a hand. They recoil to human touch. Smile and say hello and welcome and it’s like you’re the boogie-man.
I’ve had the parents say things to 12-year-olds like, “Say hi to Jonathan and Jill. Go on now!” And nudge them toward us like they were 4-year-olds hiding behind mom’s skirts. Heaven help them if they should smile. Never look you in the eye. And the handshakes are about as firm as quivering noodles.
After the “pleasantries” they quickly retreat into the protective shadow. Eyes downcast. What’s up with that?
And they “assume the position.” You know what I mean.
Hands close together…thumbs ready to go. You know…ready to TEXT! Tap-tap-tap…tap…tap…tap. Like little “thumb claws” on their smart phones. Socially adept at anonymous networking, but face-to-face can’t communicate with other people.
At our restaurant here in La Paz last week, I watched a family of 4 eating dinner. No one was talking to each other. But they were “communicating” to each other via text and e-mail even though they were all sitting next to each other!
TOTAL silence except for tap…tap…tap…to each other! “Howz yr tacos?” “Grt mom.” “Do U wnt mre salsa?” “I jst snt u a pic of me etng my brgr!”
Sitting right next to each other. I watched 90 minutes of this.
Pretty sad commentary about the new family of the 21st century.
But, there’s another side to this.
Sometimes, it’s amazing what a few days in Baja can do! A couple of days of fishing and some beach time and some pool and snorkel time. Being in a place where wi-fi isn’t automatic. And kids come out of that shell.
They run up to you…no, almost skip up to you…and can’t wait to tell you about how they caught a bigger fish than dad. And they are gushing about the whaleshark and dolphins they saw and how they tried fish tacos for the first time.
And, they’ve got a little color on their faces and their eyes are glowing again and there’s no sign of headsets wrapped around their necks and attached to iPods and smart phones. What? There’s no wi-fi on a panga?
Kids who no longer had a story to tell now have “adventures” they can’t wait to talk about. There’s almost a cool little “swagger” about them. Like each day they just survived the e-ticket rides!
Like you and I used to do. Things that you and I did commonplace is an “adventure” to these kids.
You and I walked to school. We rode our bikes through fields; down train tracks; and to the local beach, lake or public pool. Heaven forbid…some of us even rode on the handlebars…AND NO HELMETS!
Some of us even hitchhiked. We spent the night at friend’s houses. We stayed out late playing ball in the street under the street lamp. It was perfectly OK to eat cookies made by a neighbor or retrieve the ball from the neighbors yard. Our mom’s and dads knew the names and faces of the parents of our friends.
Camping out in the yard or going on a fishing trip wasn’t an exercise in logistics, insurance and security for a family. We didn’t sign release forms or have to check in our our personal GPS units. Mom’s two-fingered whistle from the front door meant “Get home now!”
I don’t think kids have adventures anymore. Whereas you and I got our jollies playing on a tire-swing and running through the sprinkler system, their “adrenaline rush” comes in how many zombies they killed on Play Station sitting in the living room.
A few days ago, I heard a 14-year-old boy (from Southern California) pleading to his dad to take his photo, “Look dad! Look dad, I’m sticking my feet in the ocean!” It was the same excitement you and I got riding our bikes with no hands or jumping off the big rock into the swimming hole. This was a southern California kid excited about simply putting his feet into the ocean!
I’m not saying that a trip to Baja is a cure-all.
But what old Baja Rats like you and I might take for granted like eating a fish taco, pulling on a fish; seeing some dolphin or (Lord help me) putting our toes into the ocean, could be the show-and-tell-adventure of a lifetime for some kid in your life.
As “civilized” as many of us have come to see Baja with air-conditioning; paved roads; McDonald’s and room service, it’s still the frontier. It’s still an exotic place for the unusual and the out-of-ordinary that can make a lifelong impression on some youngster who rarely looks up from their keyboard or lets go of the remote control.
Give ‘em a story to tell! Get them to look up and see the sunshine!
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
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That’s our story!
Jonathan
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
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Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
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