Trackers PDX Blog

Boys Won't Be Boys

7th

October

Our culture sends young men so many mixed messages...

Tough and strong makes a man along with tough and strong is a bad man.
Wrestling is bad along with violent movies are glorified by our culture.
Share with your peers along with win at football or in academics.

It also sends them messages that go against all of our genetic code...

Don't carve with knives.
Don't start campfires
Don't climb trees.
Don't be anxious when forced to sit at a desk for 6 hours straight.

The other day I listened to a radio forum about what it means to be a boy. There's so many opinions of how we should raise our children. Unfortunately they're wrapped in banal messages originating from profit centered advertising or harsh expectations mired in political correctness, bureaucracy and nouveau conservatism.

When I was younger I climbed trees, got dirty, ate mud, wanted to help out, shirked responsibility, needed boundaries, needed freedom and independence, got picked on, was mean to other kids, was generous, searched for buried treasure, climbed fences, sparred, cut myself carving with knives, picked my nose and ate it, played guns by pointing my finger and saying bang, wanted a dog, failed at sports, excelled at martial arts and art and was halfway intelligent along halfway inept (that latter still applies).

In short, I was a complex kid/person, growing into a complex adult. Being a boy was part of my identity yet my parents also possessed the genius to have a conversation about who I actually was an individual. This is a key concept I teach in animal tracking, you don't track bears, you don't track male bears, you track an individual. I know a-lot of individual animals personally. The same principles apply to how I work with kids and even adults.

To many philosophies and agendas are designed to get in the way of us being ourselves. Models and philosophies that are supposed to apply across the board. Through the clarity of purpose found in a natural village, humans have raised both boys and girls to a highly functional degree for hundreds of thousands of years. While other creatures on this planet have done the same with their young well before that. I'm not saying we need to go back to one set of values of one or another hunter-gatherer or horticultural group (they were very diverse and based on specific needs of place), what I am saying is that we're hardwired to raise healthy kids by caring enough to truly know them and their complexities while taking the risk of letting them be themselves.

Yes our children will get mixed messages from our already mixed up world, yet our innate capacity as role models, mentors, collaborators and parents is infinitely more poignant then that silliness. We just have to have faith that these healthy relationships come from simple and natural values, unfettered and not polarized by political diatribe. Plus we need to let kids explore the wild, truly challenge themselves, roam, hunt, gather, garden, connect, be alone, let live and simply be the kid they are.

Featured program...

After School is when Trackers lets kids be kids. We have options for pick-up and plenty of opportunity to carve wood, get muddy and live wild. New sessions begin the end of October. Check out our after school programs with transported options

Custom Programs...

Do you want your class, school or family to work with trackers. We want to have a conversation with you about how we can help your community find connection by nature and village. Our custom programs include building 25-foot traditional boats, wild crafting and harvesting, ancient understandings of ecology and of course the "Nature of the Village." Contact tony@trackersnw.com to learn more about setting up custom programs for your school or family

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