More Important Than Prospecting

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

This last Sunday I was up and at em around 5 am and began my usual ritual of preparing my prospecting trip for the day. I'm a weekend warrior that has been hit hard with the fever, I go pretty much every weekend..sometimes I get out several times in a week if I'm lucky.

Welp, I was pretty much done getting ready...just had to do my last inventory of my tools before I hit the road. Just then, I hear the familiar pitter-patter of my 3 year old's feet running out of the bedroom. He asks me "what are you doing dad?" and I say "going to find the gold". He replies with "that makes me sad". I think "DAMN!! I've been waiting all week for this!"

LOL long story short, I stayed home as hard as it was. No matter how much I love prospecting, there are things that come first. When you have the fever, it's hard to think rationally sometimes. I don't know what it is but something inside of me wants more, and more, and more gold! But looking back, I'm so glad that I spent the time with my kids. The gold might or might not be there later but I know for sure that these years with my children will never come again. Plus, soon enough I'll be able to bring him out there with me! HEAVY PANS.

 

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[goldenIrishman]

Yup! Family first! Just start training him as young as possible, infect him with gold fever and you'll have a mining partner for life!

 

[mytimetoshine]

Well said brother! You made the right choice. I absolutely love being a father and everytime I'm showering my daughter with I love u's she inevitably asks if I love her more then gold and I respond with a big smile and a "you bet your ass I do kid"

Well I don't really use that phrase because she is young still but I say something to that effect anyways lol

 

[fowledup]

"Don't mine for your kids mine with them" a slight play on a popular hunting slogan. Ain't no age limit for the youngsters, they mine at their own level and pace. My one year old grandson's smile and obvious joy playing with a plastic scoop and pan is the exact same as his older cousins working different parts of a sluice or highbanker set up. I can tell you to take my word for it that time is gonna fly by, but you won't appreciate the reality of that statement until you experience it. This past weekend one of my grandaughters got her first nuggie with a little help from 2C's GMT, she hasn't stopped smiling or put it down yet. Good times neither of us will ever forget. Modify your mining efforts a little, and I guarantee your satisfaction level won't go down one bit.

 

[russau]

I agree whole heartedly! time slips by way to fast to let anything come between you and your family! I wish I had a lot more time with my Parents / Grandparents before they passed , BUT don't let anymore time slip from you and your family! its to precious to pass up!

 

[Hoser John]

Amen Russ-compromise and take him with you to a less dangerous spot to learn how to mine. My son got his first hibanker/dredge at 4 1/2 and was panning with a small pan-all 4 of them-before 4 as NOTHING kids love more than playing in the dirt with Dad.. Teach him to swin asap as mine swam before they could walk. Many public pools/health clubs/YMCA teach infant safety classes. Be swim safe and the rest is easy-John

 

[Goldwasher]

When my two year old sees me getting ready or out in the clean up tent she asks.." are you making gold Daddy"...shes been around it since birth just like my two oldest. My son is gonna be thirteen in March. he knows how to pan really well and how to snipe and where to look. He helps tend the hibanker sometimes. The claim is easy access so even with snakes and poison oak he can go. Most other times he doesn't because he just cant keep up with the old man and I spend a lot of time watching him. As we hunt together more and he gets more woodscraft built in second nature I'll take him bush whacking more. finding places to prospect is more dangerous than where we hunt for deer...mainly because we don't have an atv and I'm not quartering some buck and hiking it out of the places I end up prospecting but, were spoiled where we live there's deer and gold everywhere. I used to be a chef worked 60 to 70 hours a week worked weekends and holidays..even though I was the boss I still had to ask essentially for time off to be with my family....once my son hit 12 and wanted to play baseball and now my middle daughter is a cheerleader I basically said screw this and left the industry last January... I make less money but, I get to go to games watch my kids grow and be with my family...My wife is super supportive she gets to see me not ready to break someones neck every day. And I have taken a large amount of pressure off of her. She used to have to do a lot when I was gone 14 hours a day almost every day and shes a step mom to the older kids who need the most running around. Building sluice boxes being a prospector and being home is a much more positive thing for my family. Having said that if one of them runs out in the morning and tells me their sad cause I'm heading out to the claim....my response will be ..."go watch some cartoons I got work to do"