Your Child Through Nature's Eyes

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During a recent Father Son wilderness immersion program, we invited father and son pairs to sit together quietly in the woods to observe the natural world, including each other, with open curiosity and keen observation. One day, two young brothers, who had been fighting since day one, (and likely since far before program start) made a commitment. “We’re not going to fight for 24 hours,” they told me, “as a gift to our father.” We invited the boys to try something different—to see each other anew in the same way they had been practicing to see nature and their father in the woods. And they took it on. For more than a whole day, they shifted their pattern. In doing so, their father could more easily reach his commitment of acting with patience. This was the moment when their wounds cracked open and transformed into gifts.

"Where a man’s wound is, that is where his genius will be." — Robert Bly, Iron John

What if observing the natural world was integral to seeing your child as they are really, and key to teaching adults how to parent and mentor? Do you see your child's present story, or an outdated version of who they were? Are you willing to look for their mysteries even if you may never fully understand? As changeable as wild weather, our children are nature. So are our parents, partners and friends.

When I think about fatherhood, I often recall the mindset I bring into a wilderness survival experience:

• keep a good attitude,

• let go of control,

• observe everything with sharp awareness,

• and value skills over gear.

Based on what I've seen, that mindset can make a great parent and mentor. And though I don’t have kids of my own yet, I consider myself a father in training each time I mentor youth or work with families.

Nature-based programs mirror the patterns in the rest of our lives, just more vividly. Out there in the wilderness, hiding is harder. You feel the feedback immediately—when your impatience leads to an under-insulated shelter and cold night, when your good listening navigates you to water, when you miss something important like the dead cedar tree that could have provided dry tinder and warm fire.

In mentoring youth, my job is to create conditions for them to encounter their patterns, blindspots and gifts through direct, irrevocable experience. What if, by the time they were 16, every teen had already been initiated into mentorship—actively guiding younger children in discovering and living their unique gifts? Imagine how much more equipped they’d be one day to raise a thriving family or lead a community—not by passing down an outdated set of rules, but by cultivating the wisdom to really see and nurture the brilliance emerging in the next generation.

This is regeneration: a culture where each generation is trained not just to lead, but to draw out the creative power, care, and leadership potential of those who follow—human, animal, and ecosystem alike.

You don’t need a wilderness program to begin. Just pause. Observe. Let your child, partner, or parent surprise you. Let nature draw out your curiosity so you may see them anew and in turn, help them into their power.

Kids are welcome! Lunch provided.

🐥 Early Bird tickets until August 1st, 2025

Tickets available soon! Let us know you’d like a spot in the poll below. In the meantime, check out this 60 second participant review from our 4-Day Wilderness Program in Portugal in Spring and reply to let me know you’re interested!

Blessings,

Joshua