(Side Note: I come home from a business trip teeming with stories to share. Then, I open my blog to realize, that I have yet to finish Part 2 of the "Kapayapaan Weekend". Shoots!)
September 30th was the schedule for our Mt. Hapunang Banoi hike, which my son was joining. It was his 2nd hike after his graduation hike at Mt. Ayaas. The night before the hike, he asked me what was the mountain's difficulty rating. I said it was an easy 2. And I believed that with my whole heart ... promise!
Hike day came and the trail guide gave us an overview, starting off with, "This is a rated 4 mountain in terms of trail difficulty ..." At which point my son looked at me from across our little circle and exclaimed, "Mom, you lied!" Needless to say, that was all the group needed for a good ice breaker.
The trek, although rated 4, was a technical hike. It tested my son's perseverance and stretched his frustration threshold --- which is one of my objectives for taking him with me. The second is to train him and build his self-confidence in terms of his balance. The 3rd, and most important objective, is to bond with him over something we can both enjoy.
The trek met all 3 objectives, but not without a significant amount of grunting, whining and cramping from my son. But I am grateful to have the unwavering support of everyone in our hike group, especially my hike buddy, my sister and our favorite sweeper, Matt. They showed tremendous tolerance and patience for my son and boosted his morale with loads of encouragements, good humor and cheer.
At the summit, while my son clung for dear life atop one of the rugged rocks, he said to me, "Mom, this weekend was all about peace."
"How so?"
"Yesterday was #Peacified which is peace with all people. Today is peace with nature."
I smiled proudly at him, lost for words.
"Thank you, Mom. This is worth it," he adds, while enjoying the breathtaking view.
(Heartmelt!)
What made me most proud, however, were the moments when I would offer a hand and he would tell me, "Mom, I'm trying to figure it out by myself. I can do this. Please let me." (Side story: I was tickled at the thought that I told my Papa something similar when he was teaching me how to parallel park). I worried that letting my son take his time would significantly slow us down, but I realized how important it was for him to learn this. So, I let him maneuver the trail on his own with me, my hike buddy and our sweeper strategically positioned to ensure we can support him when needed. It gave my son a sense of fulfillment and definitely increased his self-confidence.
At the jump off point, he said, "Mom, I am so tired. It's so hard, but it's worth it. I'm happy. I can tell Teacher Yssa and my classmates about it!"
Indeed, it was worth it!
AND we made it back to the jump off point well ahead of the target time.
September 30th was the schedule for our Mt. Hapunang Banoi hike, which my son was joining. It was his 2nd hike after his graduation hike at Mt. Ayaas. The night before the hike, he asked me what was the mountain's difficulty rating. I said it was an easy 2. And I believed that with my whole heart ... promise!
Hike day came and the trail guide gave us an overview, starting off with, "This is a rated 4 mountain in terms of trail difficulty ..." At which point my son looked at me from across our little circle and exclaimed, "Mom, you lied!" Needless to say, that was all the group needed for a good ice breaker.
The trek, although rated 4, was a technical hike. It tested my son's perseverance and stretched his frustration threshold --- which is one of my objectives for taking him with me. The second is to train him and build his self-confidence in terms of his balance. The 3rd, and most important objective, is to bond with him over something we can both enjoy.
The trek met all 3 objectives, but not without a significant amount of grunting, whining and cramping from my son. But I am grateful to have the unwavering support of everyone in our hike group, especially my hike buddy, my sister and our favorite sweeper, Matt. They showed tremendous tolerance and patience for my son and boosted his morale with loads of encouragements, good humor and cheer.
At the summit, while my son clung for dear life atop one of the rugged rocks, he said to me, "Mom, this weekend was all about peace." "How so?"
"Yesterday was #Peacified which is peace with all people. Today is peace with nature."
I smiled proudly at him, lost for words.
"Thank you, Mom. This is worth it," he adds, while enjoying the breathtaking view.
(Heartmelt!)
What made me most proud, however, were the moments when I would offer a hand and he would tell me, "Mom, I'm trying to figure it out by myself. I can do this. Please let me." (Side story: I was tickled at the thought that I told my Papa something similar when he was teaching me how to parallel park). I worried that letting my son take his time would significantly slow us down, but I realized how important it was for him to learn this. So, I let him maneuver the trail on his own with me, my hike buddy and our sweeper strategically positioned to ensure we can support him when needed. It gave my son a sense of fulfillment and definitely increased his self-confidence.
At the jump off point, he said, "Mom, I am so tired. It's so hard, but it's worth it. I'm happy. I can tell Teacher Yssa and my classmates about it!"
Indeed, it was worth it!
AND we made it back to the jump off point well ahead of the target time.
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