lookingaround wrote:10) Why does your individual child want to go caving? Does the child honestly want to go or are peers, parents, or others pressuring them? If they don’t want to go, please don’t force them. They will likely be miserable and can ruin the trip for others. Parents need to carefully consider the trip from their child's perspective. Obstacles, which are pretty simple if you are six feet tall, can be overwhelming if you are only four feet tall.
This one reminded me of a rather humorous (and instructive) incident which occured on a trip into Big Hole Cave in Arkansas some years back.
Both of my sons have been caving since before they could walk and were vertically competent by the time they were 10. When my youngest, CJ, was 12 we took them into Big Hole, which is a very challenging, vertical, multi-mile cave, on what turned out to be a 12 hour trip (CJ
loved it, his first such trip). While there, we hooked up with Matt Covington and crew who were bolting up a climb way in the back of the cave. After Matt topped out the climb (it didn't go), we headed out.
We came to a 12' deep canyon that one had to stem across for about 20'. The first 2 people got across in quick order, but when CJ got there, he could see no way for his 4'-6" frame to manage it, and said, "How do I do this?" Matt, who is 6'-3", stepped around CJ and said, "Like this." and 5 seconds later was across it.
CJ said, "How do I do that?! I'm too short!"
Matt looked thoughtful for about 2 sec, came back across,
got down on his knees, and did it that way showing Conor each and every foot and hand hold.
We all had a good laugh about it, but it begs the question for anyone proposing to take children caving: Can you bring yourself to their level?
If fate doesn't make you laugh, then you just don't get the joke.