I took a walk in the woods with the kids today. I swear, Livia tested the limits at every turn. If there was a boulder, she insisted on climbing it. If there was a cliff, she wanted to dance on the edge of it. She is such a daredevil and so hard on my nerves. I’m certain that I yelled at her, or perhaps both children, at least once, and I feel bad about that.
But, getting yelled at is perhaps par for the course when you’re a kid. My father, never long on patience, must have yelled at my brother and me when we went on hikes with him. I don’t remember any yelling, though. What I remember is that he took us with him. That was what counted then. And taking my kids hiking with me now is what counts now. Or, at least that’s the story I’m telling myself today.