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Dear "E" (aka Erva Bass),
I have been fishing
since I was too young to remember when. I have twin sixteen year
old daughters who won't fish because they are afraid to touch a
fish (also live bait of any kind). This inexplicable phobia may
stem from their first fishing trip at about age two...
We walked about two blocks
from our house in the city to a small creek. I had dug up some
worms in the flower bed, thinking they were old enough to be
initiated into the world of fishing (the girls, not the worms).
I didn't tell them what we were going to do, I just walked them
through the blackberry bushes to the edge of the creek. I tossed
the line in the water and told them to "Watch Girls!!" Within a
few seconds, the bobber went under. Before I could even jerk,
both girls began screaming like banshees and running backwards
through the blackberry bushes, eyes bulging. This was not good,
since they had on thin summer shorts. I had to chase them down,
to avoid their running into a busy street. No explaining could
convince them that what was in the water wasn't going to
annihilate them. I felt certain their fears would be allayed if
I could only show them a fish, but the hysteria scene was
repeated when I pulled a three inch perch out of the water.
It was a long, silent trip
home (except for the crying) only a few minutes after our
adventure had begun. The girls did their best, but at age two,
they simply didn't know how to console me. All hope for long
years of family fishing trips had been dashed.
Can you help me "E"? What
can I do to help my 16 year old daughters learn to enjoy my
lifelong passion?
Beverly
Dear Beverly,
All of God's children were not given
the natural desire to become anglers. I know you meant well and
were anxious to share your passion with your twin two year olds,
but it has been my experience that most two year olds are scared
of many things, even Santa Claus. You can't change the past. We
all want our kids to follow in our footsteps. None of my kids
care anything about fishing, but they encourage me and it makes
them happy to see me doing something that makes me happy.
My first suggestion would be to offer
them a "trade-off". In exchange for spending a day of fishing
with you, you will spend a day with each of them doing something
they enjoy. Let them fish with some closed-faced reels and
something easy to cast such as an in-line spinner. Make the day
short and make it fun by taking some snacks, drinks and a
camera. Let them do the fishing and you do the assisting.
Another suggestion is to find two good
looking 16 year old boys who like to fish and invite them along
for the day. The girls will forget about what they dislike about
fishing and will probably want to make a good impression in
front of the boys. You can just stay in the background and
chaperone!
Maybe someone who reads your story will
want to share their opinion on the subject. I hope I have been
of some help.
Sincerely,
"E"
P. S. Whatever you do,
DON'T USE LIVE BAIT.
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