Capitol Reef National Park Can Rescue Kids From The Dangers of Today
The crisis of keeping kids “off the streets” and progressing in school is unending. Many parents lie awake at night, ruminating over what they did wrong or how they can rescue their struggling offspring. Drugs, gangs, and plain-old skipping classes are facts of life that wreak havoc on the success and happiness of young people, whether in cities, rural areas, or suburbs. Capitol Reef National Park could be the answer.
Numerous youth groups have admirably changed lives: Boy Scouts of America, Brownies, Boys and Girls Clubs, Churches, and others. Thank goodness for them! But without their membership commitments and enough positive peer pressure to join, what else can parents do to repair broken self-images and give their kids a daily sense of purpose and motivation to stay clean and out of trouble? This article proposes that experiencing the grandeur of national parks, such as Capitol Reef National Park can impact a youth in profound ways: more humility, gratitude, respect, solace, and sense of accomplishment. Experiences like this decrease the likelihood of kids’ acting out in destructive ways.
Break The Cycle That’s Killing Us
Life can be routine and mundane from day to day, sunrise to sunset. This numbing cycle detracts from “seizing the day” to make time count, moment by moment, especially in personal relationships. We miss the opportunities to express thanks, love, and praise. Too many parents don’t connect in personable and intimate ways with their children. It’s no wonder that kids don’t feel belonging or appreciated. Parents and children frequently live in quiet desperation to feel needed and valued. Logically, they turn to gangs or drugs to feel a sense of belonging, importance, and relief. Self-medication in addictive ways is rampant.
If what we have been doing isn’t working, then we have to change something. In an episode of Seinfeld, George lamented that his life was terrible. Jerry coached him that because his normal instincts for decision making were so wrong, the opposite thought processes must be right and more productive. So, George vowed to start doing the opposite of his typical inclinations. Opposing his customary behaviors, he saw remarkable improvement in his life. If you decide to take a vacation to Capitol Reef for George’s reason only, that’s fine. Whatever it takes to do it can create lifetime memories and change the heart and mind of a troubled youth.
Activities For Kids At National Parks
- Become an amateur photographer. The scenery in and around Capitol Reef is breathtaking. What a great place for kids to learn photography with its myriad of perspectives, colors, contents, angles, depth, focus, etc.
- Many national parks feature stargazing programs to highlight constellations not visible near cities. Utah parks, such as Zion and Capitol Reef, are especially good for seeing faraway planets with telescopes and learning the constellations in the dark night sky.
- Take a train ride through Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and bicycle back, or vice versa.
- One of the coolest things for your kids is to complete a Junior Ranger program. Most national parks have one. The Junior Rangers learn what real Rangers do, fill out a fun nature workbook, and go on educational hikes with the Rangers. On graduation, the kids take the Ranger Oath and receive their own badges.
- Track some wildlife. Learn how to spot signs of animals, such as footprints, scat, broken twigs, fur on trees, house holes, and other clues.
- Become a Junior Smokejumper. Near Yellowstone National Park you can check out equipment and learn what it takes to fight wildfires.
- Bryce Canyon and Rocky Mountain Park feature hikes, guided by rangers, under moonlit skies. It’s tranquil, yet intriguing, and you might spy some nocturnal wildlife.
- Ride horseback through wilderness trails in Glacier National Park or the vast beauty of Capitol Reef.
- Ride a mule up and down the Grand Canyon. You’ll never forget it! Plan a year ahead because this adventure fills up fast.
Capitol Reef National Park Can Rescue Kids From The Dangers of Today
Article By: Clear Content Marketing