I am the product of an eclectic up-bringing. My father was a serious mountaineer and professor (read the Butchers Axe for more on his exploits). He taught me what he could about being a man before my Mother divorced him for many reasons - one of them being that she didn't feel safe about the risks he allowed us to take as children. She then enrolled me in the scouts (where I did much the same things though with less experienced mentors) Then we move from rural midwest (Rolla Missouri) to very urban New-England and lived for a while in an urban slum. The risks changed from falling into a cave while spelunking with my father to getting shot by a drive-by. I maintained my love of the outdoors and when emancipated from both my parents and my rebellious extended adolesence I returned to the White Mountains where my father learned his skiills. I am a member of the Appalachain Mountain club ( occassionally though unfairly derided as an elitist reserve of weekend warriors and eco-nazis) and now a member on this forum. While I am sure that my father would agree with all of the scout bashing I have been reading I am equally sure that the worst of this derision would more fittingly apply to my Mother than the Scouts. If I could find an organization as decent as the boy Scouts for my daughters I would sign them up immediately. I've not been blessed with boys yet. With the time consumed by paying the mortgage and what-not I haven't time to teach them all that they should be taught. I manage to get them out of the house most weekends and attempt what I might. I often check here and other similar resources for confirmation on how and when others teach what to their own young-uns and with what succes or failure.<br><br>I have enjoyed this forum for a few months now and even get some entertainment from the more heated exchanges. This last on how youths are perceived / treated / raised is both informative and entertaining and I thank you all. I do find that the posts specifying how an individual deals with their own young-uns are the informative ones and those remarking (praising / criticizing / deriding) on how others are dealing with theirs are the entertaining ones. I come here for both entertainment and information (perhaps I should get a life) so this is all good for me. There may be some who come only for information (or who don't appreciate bickering as much as I do) who might not want to wade through the entertainment to get at the information. Certainly keeping the entertainment on the campfire helps alot.