Remember Tree Climbing?
There are a lot of things that my daughter cannot do that I once did quite often as a child. This is mostly because of where we live and the fact that I am a bit overly protective. I am trying to let her do the things that I did, but I do understand now why my mom worried so much back then. To me, tree climbing was safe and I always knew what I was doing. To my mother, it was an accident waiting to happen, and something she always worried about when I was outside with friends. We spent a lot of time climbing trees, and we always had fun doing so.
Tree climbing was always about exploration. We wanted to get as high as we could. I guess there is just something exhilarating to a child about climbing trees that high and not having anything bad happen. We were always aware that we could only go up so high before the tree was too weak to hold us, and we never pushed it too far. My mom was not quite as secure about our knowledge, but I never had an injury from tree climbing, other than a few bruises and scratches.
When it comes to my daughter climbing trees, I don't let her do it very often. I understand that tree climbing is something that all children want to do, and that I can stand with her as she tries it, but I still worry about it much as my mother did. Perhaps my daughter is just too small at the moment for me to trust in her judgment. Whatever the case, I do not want to keep her away from tree climbing all of her life. It is fun, and it is also a great way to build muscle. I just want to have some say in the trees that she chooses to climb. I don't think that is too much to ask.
Though my tree climbing days included nothing more than my hands, feet, and good judgment, there is more to it today. There are many companies that sell tree climbing equipment that does make this much safer. You may want to look into this if you want your children to climb trees for fun. At the very least, as safety harness and a helmet might help to allay some of your fears about this fun activity.
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