OT - I wimped out...

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Ysabel Kid
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OT - I wimped out...

Post by Ysabel Kid »

Last week was a week of "camping" with my son. Part I was helping to chaperone his 4th grade class (and several others) during a trip to the Barrier Islands in SC Monday through Wednesday. It was tiring, but extremely interesting and a lot of fun for us both.

Part II was going to be a tent campout with the Cub Scouts this past weekend. I had everything packed up Friday night and we were going to head out Saturday morning after the kids swim class. My wife kept asking me why I was bothering, as it was calling for hard rain. Given the accuracy of weather-people, I figured it would be a problem.

Saturday morning came and I checked the radar. We were going to get it - and get it bad. Best-case scenario would be we'd be stuck in the tents all afternoon and evening in a heavy rain. However, the storm had already caused damage with heavy winds, hail, thunder & lightning. The kicker was the tornados. My son was disappointed, but understood. I figured it was a valuable lessen in not taking unneccessary risks, and putting off enjoyment when needed.

Of course, Mr. Murphy then called, and it didn't start the deluge until late in the day - when it was supposed to hit at 11:00am! All afternoon long my son kept looking at the sky, and I could tell he was wondering why we hadn't gone. I felt like a heel. Of course, when the thunder, lightning and buckets of rain started, he realized it was for the best.

Still, though I know it was the right decision, part of me feels like a wimp... :(

Should have know the date would be bad luck. Beware the ides of March...
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TedH
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Post by TedH »

No need to take any chances with those kind of nasty storms.
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Post by AJMD429 »

Sounds like a good lesson in prioritization and not just 'going with the flow' because it is something you want to do.

I had a similar lesson one time with my son when we were going to a gun show specifically to look for one thing that should have been $225 (AR lower). In the meantime, we pick up a $25 knife he just couldn't pass up, and the AR lowers were all $250 or more, so we went home without. He was incredulous that we'd gotten so close but not gotten one. In the end, he learned that $50 over budget is $50 over budget!
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rjohns94
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Post by rjohns94 »

YK, glad to hear from you. Was wondering if the tornados had gotten near you. You made the right decision. thats what grown ups are suppose to do!! :)
Mike Johnson,

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Post by iceman »

Sometimes you've got to call them as you see them. Bad weatehr called for why take the chance? I have been in that situation also with my son, hard call but hindsight is always 20/20. It help to build faith in making the right decision even though the right decision is not a popular one.
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Post by 2ndovc »

I remember vividly the Cub Scout weekend about a million years ago that we had a over night camp out planned at the county fairgrounds.

Thunderstorm after thunderstorm on top of tent flipping winds. It was a cold, wet miserable day. Only two out of ten tents didn'tcollapse ( mine being one of the 2, thank you very much!) and a whole bunch of cold, wet kids crammed into the last two standing.

It's a great memory because me and my tent mate ( who I can't even remember) made it through and Ritchie ( the creep th lived across the river from me had to take refuge with us because his tent was 300 yds away!!!

That was long before accurate weather radar and storm prediction. I have no doubt that if the Old Man had known that that stuff was coming he wouldn't have let me go. Still I know he was proud of me for stickng it out and dealing with it like a man.



:D
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Re: OT - I wimped out...

Post by don Tomás »

Ysabel Kid wrote: Should have know the date would be bad luck. Beware the ides of March...
"Et tu brute?"

Jay, if your reason for not going was because you were going to the range or were going to watch football, etc, then you're a heel. You're reason for not going was to keep your boy safe. Can't believe the wx that you guys get back there. Sounds to me like you made the right choice...
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Re: OT - I wimped out...

Post by awp101 »

Wise choice and now he hopefully understands "long term" thinking.
don Tomás wrote:"Et tu brute?"
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Ysabel Kid
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Re: OT - I wimped out...

Post by Ysabel Kid »

don Tomás wrote: Jay, if your reason for not going was because you were going to the range or were going to watch football, etc, then you're a heel. You're reason for not going was to keep your boy safe. Can't believe the wx that you guys get back there. Sounds to me like you made the right choice...
Tom
I'm not complaining about the rain, though we were really looking forward to the camping trip, and had been since the one at the same location last year. We are still in a big-time draught, and even with the storm, we're still way under where we should be, and all the water restrictions are still in force. Wednesday another front of storms is supposed to come through, and I hope it dumps - safely - all day long!

I ended up spending the whole day Saturday with both my children, and we worked on Cub Scout projects most of the day Sunday. It was great time, and we probably got more quality time in than if we would have gone camping. We played it safe - and important lesson...
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Post by Ysabel Kid »

rjohns94 wrote: thats what grown ups are suppose to do!! :)
Now, now Mike - there is no need to start throwing insults around. Just who are you calling a "grown up"? :wink:
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rjohns94
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Post by rjohns94 »

Jay,

I am sorry, that was a low blow :lol: I hope you can see your way to forgive my indescresion
Mike Johnson,

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Ysabel Kid
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Post by Ysabel Kid »

rjohns94 wrote:Jay,

I am sorry, that was a low blow :lol: I hope you can see your way to forgive my indescresion
Certainly! :wink:
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JReed
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Post by JReed »

Wuss
:wink: :lol:

Hey you did the right thing no point in draging your boy out in all that mess. I have been on enough outings were I spent the whole time being cold wet and miserable. Your son doesnt need those kind of memories.
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Ysabel Kid
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Post by Ysabel Kid »

JReed wrote:Wuss
:wink: :lol:
That was the problem all day long - my pride was fighting common sense. I'm glad common sense won though. One of the guys that did go out took some pictures. The place were they pitched their tents - where we all would have - ended up being in 3-4 inches of standing water. Several tents blew over. Even the Boy Scouts, who camp next to us that weekend, left! Several campers abandoned their tents and said they'd come back the next day when it was dry to get them. And as I suspected, several people got stuck in the mud trying to get back out of the campe site!

What a mess...
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Post by gamekeeper »

Jay, you were right to stay at home. Every year in the UK we here about kids being swept away down swollen streams and kids falling over cliffs whilst on school or scout camping trips. You can take PRIDE in the fact that you used common sense! :wink:
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Post by Rusty »

Jay,
It sounds like you taught your son how to make a mature sensible decision. Risks are not something to be taken lightly. There are real dangers involved in being outside during thunderstorms.
We have a county park less than five miles from our house. there is one particular place at that park that has had four lightening strikes that I know about. One was while our HAM radio club was setting up for it's annual field day contest, no one was hurt. Two weeks later a Church group was there, they had one killed and two injured. The rangers told us about the other times.
One thing I have tried taught my son is to never use hindsight to criticize your own decisions. You do the best you can with what you have and move on.
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Post by Dave »

There is a difference between brave and crazy. You did right.
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Post by Ysabel Kid »

Thanks guys! :D

Another storm is supposed to tear through here tomorrow. We need the rain badly, so I hope it ends up being slow, no wind, but a lot of water!!!
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