Kids can ’ t always figure it out on their own , sometimes parents need to lend a helping hand ..
Below , Kalum Temple with a good reminder that there ’ s more to life than Instagram . forced to put down their phones and engage in actual , live social activity .
Heavy Casualties In short order the rods were bouncing as big , wild salmon hammered our lures and ran for the horizon . The kids had no choice but to pick up a rod and use their fingers and hands for something other than swiping and clicking . “ Whoa !” they screamed as salmon tore off for the depths at rates of unimaginable speed . Slowly , we witnessed a transformation as the kids began to smile and highfive each other like human beings once again .
The day wore on and the fish boxes filled . Laughter replaced grunts and they regained their command of the English language . They worked the gear and cleaned up after themselves . They asked questions and shared stories . They smiled . They seemed happy .
Courtney and I felt pretty good about ourselves as we ran back to town that evening . The boats were alive with the sounds of a functioning family . But we underestimated the power of the enemy ’ s stronghold and as soon as we neared town devices started buzzing and beeping . The kids dove for their phones and the conversation subsided . Fervent clicking and swiping ensued .
Back at the docks the feeling of euphoria that both sets of parents shared quickly faded . Once again , the enemy overtook the kids . We cleaned the fish as the kids withdrew and gave a halfhearted effort to help . It ’ s hard to clean and package fish when one hand is furiously texting .
To tell you the truth that night , back at the house , my wife and I actually discussed leaving the kids behind the next day to teach them a lesson . Thankfully we decided against it because we both realized that they ’ d just sit around on their phones all day and probably enjoy it .
Sometimes You Lose A Battle to Win the War That night Courtney and I reconvened over a few beers on the deck . We felt that the day had been somewhat of a success but felt that we needed to go deeper into the wilderness the next day in hopes of having an even more profound effect .
The next morning we met our buddy Jay , who is a pilot . He had everything warmed up and ready to go by the time we arrived . This time the kids were told they had to leave their phones in the hanger as they could potentially
44 explore : NW | The Official Magazine for kenmore air | Spring 2017