Take your children outside if you don’t want ‘snowflake kids,’ outdoor enthusiast says
John Radzwilla, who runs Hook & Barrel magazine, feels parents need to focus on getting outside and spending time with their children away from screens.
Americans should celebrate Father’s Day by encouraging their kids to get off social media and head outdoors where they can learn valuable life lessons, according to Hook & Barrel Magazine's the editor-in-chief and CEO.
John Radzwilla, who runs the popular outdoor publication he jokes is like "a redneck GQ [Magazine]," feels parents need to focus on spending time with their children away from screens that are plaguing a generation of youngsters. The avid hunter and fisherman is a firm believer that kids simply "need" to be outdoors.
"It's the time outdoors that builds the skill sets that you're eventually going to carry on to your adult life, so that we don't have all these, like, snowflake kids out there that don't know how to deal with things or don't know how to change a light bulb because all they've done is hang out on TikTok," Radzwilla told Fox News Digital.
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Hook & Barrel editor-in-chief and CEO John Radzwilla said young children learn valuable life lessons from spending time outdoors. (John Radzwilla)
Radzwilla, who has a four-old-old son named Jack, said there are a ton of "feel-good reasons" to get kids outdoors, such as snapping photos of first experiences that make parents "warm and fuzzy" on the inside. But Radzwilla believes there are other significant reasons to encourage kids to head outside.
"It taught me to adapt and overcome in situations that were not necessarily comfortable, and that applies to things in my adult life," he said.
"It taught me to be crafty with my hands. I didn't know how this particular thing was working out in the outdoors, or I wanted to build a treehouse, or I wanted to build a fort out in the woods. Well, that still now applies to my life today, like how to take a hammer and nail and fix something in my house," Radzwilla continued. "There are so many life skills that are learned in the outdoors that are so important."
Radzwilla feels being outdoors also teaches children about overcoming adversity, avoiding danger, being aware of their surroundings, camaraderie and "playing by the rules." He said getting your children outside doesn’t require grandiose trips or anything elaborate — his son enjoys fishing in the neighborhood pond just as much as he would enjoy an epic bear hunt in Canada.
"Oftentimes, I think parents miss that … the kid doesn’t necessarily care what he’s doing," he said, noting that they only care about spending time with mom or dad.
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Hook & Barrel editor-in-chief and CEO John Radzwilla with his son, Jack. (John Radzwilla)
Radzwilla said he takes his son on a half-mile walk to school each morning. They have developed a routine where Jack picks up trash along the way.
"What's he learning? He's learning about responsibility. He's learning to use his hands. He's outdoors. He's doing something good for nature, and I've had trucks pull up next to me on the road and go, ‘Hey man, way to go be a good dad … You're teaching ‘em right,’" Radzwilla said.
"Does that make me feel good? Yes, it does, but really what makes me feel even more special is now every day, Jack wants to walk to school and pick up trash," he continued. "That's teaching responsibility, and he doesn't even know, he thinks he's spending time with dad."
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Radzwilla, whose passion for nature resulted in co-founding Hook & Barrel, said kids naturally look up to their parents and the simplest outdoor tasks could make for a valuable lesson.
"They’re absorbing. They are learning. I was raking leaves, picking up sticks and using the chainsaw to clean up a bit. And in that moment, I realized that Jack was learning life lessons," Radzwilla said.
"He was seeing his dad do hard work, and in the process, learning what hard work was. He may be too small to help, but he saw how to use a rake. He saw how to use tools. So, not only does the outdoors offer activities and stimulation for kids, but it also offers an environment to learn about working with your hands, what hard work looks like," he added. "And gives them a sense of accomplishment after all is complete."
Fox News Digital’s Nora McLaughlin contributed to this report.
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