was i too easy on him?

[growingvegetables]

You may wish to pretend you have not seen this contribution. In fact, for your own sanity, DO NOT READ! You will regret it, ..........





... but my then 13 year old younger son's mileage (and worse, craving for mileage) shot up after offering him a wild camping trip. Over the low Pennines from Skipton to somewhere in Lancashire - camped somewhere wild below Pendle Hill; back over the high Pennines, via Widdop Rservoir, to Halifax.

The next summer, he rode Leeds to Edinburgh with me ... MUCH fitter and faster than I could manage.

 

[Dave 123]

Next weekend try shoving him up a chimney!


I have a 20yo son who is going to Mallorca in 6 weeks with his dad, 2 uncles, 3 distant relatives and 1 other. He has done bugger all training other than completing the Oliver Reed gold medal challenge. The other 7 people are trying to get fit/fitter.
I have asked Mrs Dave to have a quiet word so that it doesn't sound like "old moany bollocks" dad going off on one

 

[jefmcg]

Oliver Reed gold medal challenge

Google is not helping me.

Surely that must be a drinking competition?

 

[Dave 123]

Google is not helping me.

Surely that must be a drinking competition?

I made it up.....
At the late age of 20 he's discovered drink.

 

[Crackle]

Don't push it, just give them the opportunities at that age, encourage them, praise them and the rest will just happen. My two both tried lots of different things and now at 16 and 18 have both settled into what they like. The idea was never to push them in one direction but just give them an appreciation of what you can get out of sport and it has reaped many rewards now, defining them in so many ways. They are all different and yeah once puberty kicks in they're just a dot in the distance, no need to cajole them along anymore.

 

[jefmcg]

I made it up.....
At the late age of 20 he's discovered drink.

Mind you, when I first heard of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, I assumed it was something about insulting foreigners, As that turns out to be perfectly serious, anything is possible.

 

[steveindenmark]

I think 70km is a long way for a 13 year old. Most of them cant get out of bed.

 

[Globalti]

Duke of Edinburgh award? More like Duchess of Cambridge if you're asking me - they don't have to do much; just a couple of easy walks.

 

[Crackle]

Duke of Edinburgh award? More like Duchess of Cambridge if you're asking me - they don't have to do much; just a couple of easy walks.

Volunteering, a skill, a sport, the walk is the easy bit.

 

[Globalti]

I agree that getting a teenager to volunteer to do anything is a skill.

 

[fossyant]

I remember taking my lad out 2 years ago to try a rather steep hill in Romiley in preparation for a club hill climb. He really struggled to ride on the flat and couldn't even attempt the hill. Two weeks later we discovered he had Type 1 !.

I let him do what he wants - typical teenager - would't be up for a club run. He likes MTB and will happily come out on rides at the caravan, or go off tearing round the site on his bike for ages.

 

[rugby bloke]

From my experience as a Dad and from coaching junior rugby players, the teenage of the species is almost impossible to read and second guess. One day they are completely on it, the next they appear to be on a different planet.
Its already been said but the key is encouragement. Find positives in all situations, take small steps, set goals which can be achieved. Its great that you want to encourage your lad in your sport. This sounds like it was a bad day, but there will be plenty of good days further down the road.
There is nothing better than seeing your child mastering your sport - I remember the first time I played rugby against more oldest lad when he was 18. He made a complete fool of me but I could not be prouder !

 

[vickster]

Sell the PlayStation, buy him a 105 group set

 

[Globalti]

The only problem with all this is that there comes a moment when the teenager is aged about 16, when their growing strength curve crosses your own diminishing strength curve and they begin to burn you off on climbs thanks to their slighter build and the testosterone flooding through their bodies. They will then shout insults over their shoulder like "Come on Old Man!" as they disappear into the distance. However for a few more years you still have the upper hand because you know they lack stamina or the ability to measure their effort and within ten miles they will be sitting on your wheel and asking "how much further to the cafe?" type questions. If you're really ruthless you can challenge them to lead, sit on their wheel for a rest then sprint past as the target approaches, making sure you can then freewheel on for a short distance so they don't see how hard you are gasping for oxygen.

 

[jefmcg]

Duke of Edinburgh award? More like Duchess of Cambridge if you're asking me - they don't have to do much; just a couple of easy walks.

Woah! I'm not a fan of the Royal Family, nor no much about the award, but there is no excuse for this casual sexism. As far as I can tell, it was named that because he founded it, not because it is about emulating him. If Princess Margaret had founded it, it would have been the Princess Margaret Rose award.

If it was about emulating him, the walk would be challenge, as they would all have to walk two paces behind