Rods and Lightening :)

Thunder and lightening are an amazing part of nature.  It is incredibly loud and bright and surprises you every time it lights up the stage.  When you're in a narrow valley surrounded by big hills it can be amplified.  For an 8 year old this can be more of a horror story than a drama.  This was very evident a couple of weekends ago when I took my son fishing.  We were on the middle reaches of Parlee Brook and he had caught three fish before I even got my muddler tied on. 

He was giggling and having fun at my expense and I was proud and frustrated at the same time.  Every time he hooked a fish with his bait rod, I had to help him release it.  This meant I couldn't get my fly tied on.  My son thought this was very funny.  We fished for about 10minutes and a light rain started and some thunder could be heard off in the distance.  As rain started to pour down, I thought we could wait out what I thought would be a short down pour in the truck. 

We spent longer in the truck than we did on the water but Seth wanted to wait it out.  The wait lasted about 20 minutes and we then went back to the brook.  The thunder and lightening then crashed over the hill and Seth got spooked.  Even though he was catching fish, his level of enjoyment immediately dropped.  He no longer tried to put space between us but rather wanted me close by.  After a particularly loud clap of thunder I caught Seth almost shivering and I could tell he was no longer having fun.  When I suggested we head back to the truck and call it a day, he didn't hesitate to reel up his line and head back up the bank.

I was proud at how well he handle himself that day.  His pride kept him on the river without complaining and I started to see the young man he is slowly becoming.  Even though he is moving slowly to becoming a man, it is still too fast.