A special day to honor our moms and the mothers of our children
It’s Mother’s Day weekend and this article is written for all the fathers out there to give you some ideas on how to treat those special ladies on this special day and this year. I first want to start by saying how blessed I am to have such an amazing wife and mother to my four daughters. She loves the outdoors and lets me spend too much time in the mountains enjoying hunting, fishing and some guy time in addition to all of our family trips. I am assuming that you also have a great partner and amazing mother of your kids. Anyone who has kids knows that being a parent is a full-time job in itself and, when we go away on our hunting trips, our wives become single moms for the week or two we are gone. This is no small feat and I hope that you can respect the sacrifice our wives and partners make to allow us to go hunting. There are also many wives and mothers out there who love hunting themselves and it is our responsibility to help make that happen and allow them to escape from the full-time job of being a mom and enjoying doing what they like. These ladies who want to hunt are already overcoming hundreds, if not thousands of years of tradition, so it’s our job as fathers, husbands and family to support them. Here are some ways to be good partners, help our ladies celebrate motherhood and give them a much deserved break. Here are also some examples for all the moms out there who want to do more outdoors.
Talking to my wife about motherhood gives me a greater insight into how a lot of ladies tick. Being a mother and taking care of their children is so built into who they are that they have a hard time making time for other things — even things they want. This means that even though ladies might like to hunt or camp, they often will not indulge in this hobby since they can’t bring their children along or feel bad leaving them at home. Everyone deserves the opportunity to experience hunting and exploring the wilderness as many times as they can. This fall, make time for your wife or partner to hunt with some friends or with yourself to give them a break from the kids. You may have to book an outfitter or purchase a tag so that the hunting trip becomes something they can put on their calendar. This reset will allow them to find time for themselves outside of motherhood and enjoy the great outdoors.
I always encourage hunters to invite their spouses to go hunting with them. This may create a logistical problem when it comes to finding a trustworthy family member or friend to watch the kids, but it will be so worth it. My biggest hobby is hunting as many days as I can, so enjoying this hobby with the mother of my children and partner in crime is an honor. This fall, find a way to invite your wife, partner, and mother of your children to join you in the mountains for a day, a weekend or even a week if you can. Asking the mother of your children out on a hunt is a definite must-do!
Even if the mother of your children is not a hunter and doesn’t want to be, you can still enjoy the great outdoors as a family. Get out of the house, go for a hike, go camping and do not make it about hunting. Often, I tend to plan a family camping trip around shed hunting, deer scouting or new units, but that shouldn’t be the priority. Take some time to plan a journey that is about her and your family — not about you. If you are a lady reading this article, talk to your partner and plan a trip you want. Sometimes this might mean going camping near a tourist town you want to check out, near a hot spring or near that elk hunting spot you always wanted to scout. Take the initiative to pick a place you want to go to; you deserve it.
The last thing that I suggest and have learned from experience is to give the mother of your children a trip of her own with some friends — without kids. Hunting elk, deer, antelope and other animals are time-consuming and financially costly, especially for nonresident. Determine the cost of your trip and allocate a similar amount of money towards your wife’s girls’ trip. Allow her to get away from the kids while you play Mr. Mom for a few days. She will come back refreshed, relaxed and your family will be better off for it. If your wife is as strong-willed as mine, you might have to force her to go, but I promise she will have a great time.
Overall, Mother’s Day is a day to honor our moms and the mothers of our children. They do so much for us and are great parents and partners to us. If you are like me, you love your wives, kids, parents and hunting so take care of all of your loves. If you are a single mom out there or a mom who loves to hunt, fish and enjoy the great outdoors, make sure to set some time to do things with your family, but also to partake in the outdoors with your partner, friends or yourself. This Mother’s Day, do something special with your wife, your mom and any other special moms in your life because they deserve it!
