We've had a few people ask, "Why would you take a 6-year-old girl Elk hunting?"
The truth is, because I want her to know she can.
My daughter craves adventure. I love that about her, and I want to stoke that fire in her soul. So when she asked to come hunting, saying "No" didn't cross my mind.
See, we tell little girls that they can be whatever they want to be.
Hairstylist? Get it, girl!
Scientist? More power to ya!
CEO? Put those boss skills to work, chica!
The trails have been blazed, and little girls know they can do it all because they've watched the women before them do it.
The thing about being an outdoorsman though is that it teaches little girls (and everyone for that matter) not just that you CAN be self-sufficient, but that you are CAPABLE of being self-sufficient.
By camping and waking up before sunrise, she's learning that some things are worth showing up for.
By going on challenging hikes, she's learning that sometimes hard work is the only way to get what you want.
By standing up everytime she falls, she's learning about perseverance.
By taking a little nap on a hillside, she's learning that it's ok to rest.
By lifting each other up and enjoying our family time, she is learning we will always be here and we are always proud of her efforts.
By harvesting a bull, she learned exactly where our meat comes from.
By helping us process and package that meat, she learned how we feed our family and why we don't waste food.
Most important of all, she learned that life is tough, but so is she.
Confidence is a funny thing isnt it? In some ways it's like we feel the need to get permission to be confident. Like you have to earn it somehow. We think "If I could just achieve this goal, or be in this place, or be friends with these people, I'll finally feel good about myself". Let me tell you something I've finally learned. None of these things will give you confidence because none of them will change the voice in your head that's telling you that you aren't enough. Nothing external is going to give you permission to be confident. That comes from you, and you alone. You get to love yourself at a double digit pant size. You get to feel strong AF, even if your max is someone else's warm up. You get to be proud of the things you create without someone else validating it. You get to feel beautiful regardless of the "likes" you get on Instagram. You get to feel like a good mom no matter what Kathy from the PTA thinks. You are GOO...
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