Kinda Like Brisket

One of my most favorite things that my mom cooks is Brisket. My mom will be the first to admit she is not a big cook. But her brisket? Don't even get me started about how amazing it is. I'm a foodie and appreciate taste whenever and wherever I can get it. And life is too short to eat crappy-tasting food. So when I tell the kids, "Trust me. Try this. You won't be disappointed" and they don't believe me, it's pretty frustrating.

So, last year, Holden got brave enough to try the juicy, flavorful beef dish and he was hooked. Three servings later, he leaned back with a greasy, satisfied smile.

How I feel about food is a lot like how Kevin feels about adventure. Sure, the unknown can be scary. You're not sure if it will be good. But, sometimes, all it takes is a little taste and you know you're in for something wonderful. And, as every parent across the generations have said: "You never know until you try."

We actually were naive in thinking that introducing Holden to one of Kevin's favorite adventure activities, rock climbing, would be easy-peasy. Hello? Did it not take the kid years to put a piece of meat in his mouth? But, Holden has been asking for a while to go rock climbing, and we obliged. We ditched Riley with Grandma Bonnie so we could spend some QT with our oldest and his ever-growing adventurous spirit at the rock gym.

Not sure if it was all the safety tips we peppered him with in the car on the way there, or the overwhelming feeling one gets when they first walk into a two-story room covered with slate gray rock-like walls and colorful protrusions ... but this was what Holden looked like from pretty much the moment we got there:

While Holden's really growing out of his senstive crying jags that were a big part of his earlier childhood, he still gets in these moods where reasoning and discussion are just not gonna happen. He never really told us what was getting him all worked up that day. But he refused to put on his harness or get near the wall.

We decided, though, to take advantage of the opportunity to climb since it's been so long. And we figured he'd see that even MOM could do it, so he could, too. But for the next hour, he stuck close to whichever of us was belaying. At first, he stayed quiet and seemed to just be taking it all in. Little by little, he started asking questions, and offering B-matter and advice from the ground.

Finally, I asked him to toe on up to the wall and just put one hand on a hold. And then another. Then, you know, just put your foot on this little guy a few inches off the ground. Then that other foot can go right up there. And before you knew it, his little monkey instinct kicked in and up he went, forcing Kevin to pluck him off the wall about five-feet up.

Into his harness he went and he spent the next hour repeatedly climbing half-way up the wall.

He never made it to the top, but it doesn't matter. He was proud of himself and had a blast, and we were pleased that he tried something new, tested himself and shown his taste for adventure is just as strong as his taste for Brisket.