Aidan's Adventures

I'm proud of all the adventures my son did this summer. He's becoming a capable young man.

This summer he harvested and ate his first hog that he shot, he went to the Civil Air Patrol Encampment, he fished, flew in a C-130, and raised chickens. He also kept a kind heart, learned how to feed sourdough starter, cook sourdough bread from scratch, and kept a healthy body.

He balanced patience with his younger sister while still being a friend with her. He is practiced being a good role model to his younger cousins and helped guide them into their next level of maturity. I was quite proud of him.

All of this self-growth was not easy for him. He's very sensitive, and Caleb and I weren't too sure how these scenarios would play out. We knew he'd be a good person, but we didn't know how he would do with the hog hunt and the encampment.

Caleb isn't a hunter and he wanted Aidan's first hunt to be successful. So, he, his father, and Aidan went on a guided hog hunt at Dos Plumas, outside of Midland, TX. Aidan practiced his shooting skills for months. He chose to use a lower power gun where he needed to hit the pig in a very specific location.

Aidan did great. Within the first five minutes of their hunt, both he and Caleb shot the pig behind the head, they gutted them, and then had to wait a couple of hours for their guides to return. Aidan was patient through all of it. Additionally, he had the experience of eating the meat that he harvested.

He went on two more hunts that trip. Aidan didn't see anything the second time, and the third time his gun wasn't acting correctly, and Aidan wasn't able to shoot another pig. His father and grandfather did, though. He accepted it with grace. It's a good thing that Aidan didn't get a pig every time. It kept him humble, and being humble was not Aidan's strong suit. He developed that trait this summer.

A few days after getting home from that long trip, Aidan went to his Civil Air Patrol encampment. It was a couple hours away from home, he had to compile an extensive number of materials from his packing list, and he had to live in a very militaristic way for six days. The first few days were rough on him and then he was able to step-up and grow through the experience. I was proud of him for not calling home and asking me to come and get him. Because he stayed, he was able to ride in an enormous C-130 and earned a fun story to tell people.

I love watching my children grow well.