Growing up as a little girl, I remember seeing some things that most little girls don't get the privilege of seeing. I say 'priviledged' in a sort of sarcastic tone, however it was very educational, to say the least. It's not your every day little girl that gets to watch her dad cut open and gut a freshly killed deer. It's certainly not every day that normal little girls experience the smell of Borax and formaldehyde and watch their Dad skin animals, paste and sew them onto a styrofoam shape and dry their skins with my old hairdryer.
It is definitely unique for a little girl to open up her closet in her bedroom to play with Barbie dolls and instead find a frightening life like Bob Cat with his teeth showing and sharp claws ready to pounce. Going to sleep at night was enough to give any little girl bedtime fright, to say the least! It was also so strange to open up the freezer and see things labeled, "Bob's Turkey", "Ricky's Pheasant", "Louis's 12 Point Deer", "Richard's 16 Pound Fish".
Although, some would cringe when they hear these things, however I didn't have a problem with observing and really learned a lot from my "taxidermy Dad". He did spend a lot of time with his lovies and tried his best to share the important things with his kids the times he got the chance. Although, I would have enjoyed my daddy playing dolls with me and taking time to teach me to dance or simply having a tea party with me. Those are things that matter to little girls and have such an impact on their self esteem. These are the ways that little girls learn how a husband is supposed to treat them when they look for a husband and they most importantly learn how God is their heavenly father and he is concerned with each moment of their lives.
I am, however, proud of my Dad and his stand for Christ, his dedication to pray for me, and his commitment to providing for his family. My dad's background involved several years of teaching the science department at Altus school district and then he later decided to go into counseling and moved to Paris School District. Since he was old enough to hold a gun, a bow or ride in a boat and hide in his decoy, he has spent all of his down time doing these things that he loves.
Being a parent now, I know there are so many things that I love to do; diy projects, painting, sewing, decorating, organizing, crafting, but knowing it can be so easy to let these things take up all my time brings me to a decision. Do I ignore my family while I indulge myself in these things or do I face the reality that those things, even though are a great way to escape the stress of raising a family, are not as important as spending time with my family.
For dads, this comes as a harsh reality when they realize they're taking all their energy and their extra time to go catch the next 12 pointer and then come home to their families exhausted from getting up at 4 a.m., to find that their best energy is gone. Leaving the best part of themselves in the woods becomes another excuse and they justify it with selfish ambitions, while their children and wives are suffering for lack of leadership and family support and simply creating an sharing life's moments with them.
We talk about the epidemic problems with teens straying, kids cutting themselves to get rid of their emotional pain, suicides and even college age students never attending church again, but do we find a solution? Studies have shown that with an absent father comes a teen with low self esteem, fewer college graduations and and church drop outs. It is also a proven study that parents who divorce leave children with a tremendous amount of grief, feelings of loss, the pain that feels like the death of the only family they were part of, low self esteem and a great opportunity to blame God.
So I wanted to share this video with you, not to deter hunters from hunting, but to remind parents to make a balance between your hobbies and your home and family. Make God the center of your lives and the leader of your home and share with your children the 'best' part of your day and not the last and least part. To 'man up' and follow the calling God has given you. It is far more courageous and hero quality to be a Dad your kids can look up to than to hunt a 12 point deer you've been following for months.
There can be many lessons taught to boys and girls who like to hunt with their Dad when they are old enough, as long as it becomes a family hobby. I feel this is the direction Camo Family Outfitters has shared in this reality video and continue to make their hobbies family oriented. I hope you are encouraged to be the man God intended you to be as you watch. There are several other videos they have shared on their facebook page that an outdoors sportsman would enjoy.
Camo Family Outdoors has put together a video called "One Day Too Late", from the self titled song from Skillet. Here is the link to the video that all avid wildlife & game hunters need to see. Right click on link and select 'go to' and it will take you directly to their facebook page video. Please click on 'like' if you support their work. thanks.
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Find these guys on facebook: Camo Family Outdoors
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