“Take your boys hunting while they are young, and you will not have to hunt for them when they are older.” — My Dad
As I reflected on our recent road trip, my thoughts kept returning to something I had noticed along the way. It was not the scenery or the places we visited that stayed with me. It was the conversations I overheard between fathers and their young sons. Some were excitedly talking about an upcoming hunting trip, while others were reliving one they had already shared. Listening to those conversations made me smile because I realized they were talking about much more than hunting. They were talking about time spent together.
Those conversations brought back memories of my own father. He often told me, “Take your boys hunting while they are young, and you will not have to hunt for them when they are older.” As a young man, I thought he was talking about hunting. It took me years to understand he was really talking about relationships. Hunting was never the lesson. It was simply the opportunity for a father and son to spend uninterrupted time together, building trust, sharing wisdom, and creating memories that would last long after the hunting season was over.
As I reflected on what my dad had taught me, I could not help but think about the old song Cat’s in the Cradle. The older I get, the more I realize that the song is not really about a father and son. It is about lost opportunities. It is the story of a father who was too busy to build a relationship while his son was young, only to discover later that time had quietly slipped away. My father’s advice was the exact opposite. He understood that the greatest investment a father can make is not measured in dollars earned or possessions accumulated, but in the time he spends with his children. One is a warning. The other is the solution.
Sadly, that lesson seems to be fading in our culture. Many fathers work hard to provide a good living for their families, but providing for a family is not the same as being present in one. Busy schedules, endless activities, and technology compete for our attention every day. Families can sit together in the same room while everyone is looking at a different screen. Some children grow up without a father in the home, while others grow up with a father who is physically present but emotionally absent. Relationships are not built by sharing the same address. They are built by sharing life.
The Bible reminds us in Proverbs 22:6, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” Direction requires more than words. It requires presence. Children learn by watching, listening, asking questions, and simply spending time with their fathers. Some of life’s greatest lessons are learned walking through the woods, riding down a country road, sitting around a campfire, or working side by side. Those ordinary moments often become the extraordinary memories that last a lifetime.
Looking back, I realize my father was never trying to teach me how to become a better hunter. He was teaching me how to become a better father. The greatest trophy was never the one we brought home from the woods. It was the relationship built along the trail. One day the hunting trips will end, the campfires will burn out, and little boys will become grown men with families of their own. The relationship you have with them then will be the one you chose to build today.
If there is one lesson I hope every father remembers, it is this: spend time with your children while they are young. Whether it is hunting, fishing, working in the garage, throwing a ball in the backyard, or simply sitting on the porch talking, the activity is never the most important part. The relationship is. My dad understood that truth many years ago, and I am grateful he passed it on to me. His advice was simple, but it may be one of the greatest lessons a father can ever teach his son.