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My last 10-year-old adventure.
Each of my children gets an opportunity at age 10. They get a 10-year-old adventure with Dad. The idea was that they come up with something they want to do or see, and I agreed to facilitate that request to the best of my ability. At ten, it's time to start figuring out that this world is a big, beautiful place. I wanted them to think big. Be a little audacious. I wanted them to start learning that whatever big dream they want to accomplish, I will be here (with Julie, of course) as their biggest encourager, supporter, facilitator, and cheerleader. These are trips of just Dad and one 10-year-old child, chasing whatever adventure they landed on.
Jersey- Jersey turned 10 in December of 2019. The world got turned upside down before we could take her trip, so we postponed it for a while. But her request was to see a play on Broadway. We saw 2. In addition to all the sights and magnificence of NYC.
Atticus- Atticus is an old soul. He loves history. He had the quickest answer when I asked him to start thinking about his adventure. He wanted to see Ford's Theater, where Lincoln was shot. We saw it, toured it, and got a walking tour of the events surrounding the assassination from an actor in period dress. We also viewed Washington from the top of the Washington Monument, saw the Declaration of Independence, and all of the other larger-than-life sights of Washington, D.C.
Wren- Wren had the hardest time deciding what she wanted to do for her adventure. Mostly because she just loves being home and close to Julie. I felt this trip would be important for her and me, so I stuck to the ground rules when she tried to add Mom to the trip. Wren is an athlete who loves sports, particularly volleyball. I try not to influence the destination of these trips, but I found out her favorite college volleyball team (Nebraska) was playing a match at Historic Wrigley Field, and I mentioned it. That's all it took, and she had her adventure. We made plans for Chicago. Last week we completed that trip, and it was great. We saw Chicago's great architecture from a boat, viewed the city through the clouds from the 103rd floor of the Willis (Sears) Tower, and rode the Ferris wheel on Navy Pier. Of course, seeing the first volleyball game in historic Wrigley Field was the crown jewel of the trip.
Each of these trips holds a very special place in my heart. I was a little sad when Wren and I got home because I realized that the 10-year-old-adventure chapter was over. The way each relationship grew in just a few short days of being intentional, direct, and fully engaged was amazing. I would do it all over again if I could, but they are only 10 once. I think I'll look for another milestone and build a new system around that.
* Credit where credit is due: I originally discovered the idea of a 10-year-old adventure from the book Love Does by Bob Goff. It's a great book, and he does a better job of hashing out the ins and outs of this idea than I ever could. If you are interested in implementing 10 year-old-adventures in your own family, I highly recommend reading it.
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