Jack was also able to help me locate another previous DNF - The $1 School. This time, it was more a matter of helping me think outside the box. A fresh set of eyes and a suggestion from him was all it took, and the cache was in hand.
This has gotten me thinking a bit about the pros and cons of caching with a child. I've seen enough logs from people who either mention their kids or post pictures of them finding caches, so I know it's pretty common, but there are definitely ups and downs to bringing a child along.
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| The kid in question. He thinks the mustache makes him look more mature. |
PROS
- You get a free pass where you would otherwise look suspicious investigating a hide, e.g. - light pole skirts. I have gone for a few of these in crowded parking lots and have wasted a lot of time just waiting for people to go away, as I don't want them to think that I'm up to anything nefarious. With Jack around, I simply pretend to make a fake phone call (sometimes I even pretend that the Garmin is a phone) and look like an inattentive parent. He can check the light pole skirt without a second look (he's shorter than me anyway) and the worst I get are the occasional dirty look from someone who thinks I'm not paying attention to my kid.
The best part of this method is that he's in on it with me. He knows that we're messing with people and thinks that it's fun. - Related to the above point, it opens up parks where I would otherwise look "creepy". Let's be honest - I'm a very tall, balding, semi-intimidating looking dude. I can see how it would look "off" if I was checking a playground swing set for a magnetic hide while kids are around. When I have Jack with me I can wander wherever I want without a second glance, and he gets to play on playground equipment or help me cache, which is really a win/win situation.
- Not only is a kid a great set of young eyes, they also are closer to the ground and can find the lower hides. This may not be an issue for those of you who are more normal sized, but in my 6'8" case this is a big deal. There have been several hides that would have been very difficult to spot from my altitude that Jack found in seconds.
- Kids also bring a fresh perspective to things. They can be brutally honest and see right to the heart of a situation. This can be entertaining/terrifying around difficult family situations, but can also be incredibly helpful when you're caught in a loop over-thinking a well hidden cache. I've had a hide or two where Jack has walked right up and guessed immediately where it was, after I had spent a long time trying to get into the head of the CO (cache owner) and develop some sort of mental profile. Kids can see right through the BS sometimes.
CONS
- "It's too hot outside", "I'm hungry", "I'm bored", "I want to go home". If Jack's not in the mood to cache, everyone within 30 feet knows about it. This is a combination of short attention span and lack of patience, both of which improve with age.
- It can be difficult balancing his desire to find a cache with his ability to find a cache. There is no way he would spot a hide 12 feet up a tree or under a heavy rock (I found one like this once). Jack tends to get incredibly pissed off if someone else finds the cache when he's looking for it.
Jack also always wants to use the Garmin, and while I totally support that and let him use it as much as possible, he can get frustrated if he pushes the wrong button and changes the display to something unintended. This can lead to complaining, like the point above this one. - Trying to find a cache while also trying to keep him from exploring the big patch of poison ivy or sticking his hand in a hole with a snake (almost happened) can be exhausting. It's a balancing act between letting your kid explore the world for themselves (which is a life lesson kind of thing) and keeping them out of danger (which is a parenting instinct kind of thing).
My solution so far has been to involve Jack when he either actually wants to go caching and suggests it himself or when we're going to a location that also has a playground. Caches in parks near playgrounds are great, as it wears him out (always a good idea) and lets me find a hide that I wouldn't get to check out without a kid in tow.
I'm actually planning a future blog post about good local caches for people with little kids. There are a lot of hides in some really neat parks, and they turn into cheap/free little day trips, which is always a plus.
JANUARY 2013 UPDATE - The post about good local parks for caches is now live.
Caches in this post:
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