Hiking with Kids - a story of creative inspiration and resilience
Hiking
Before I had kids I was already a keen hiker, a true weekend-warrior, climbing munros with my best friend (and later husband) and trying to fit in as many outdoor adventures as possible into an average postgraduate student/young professional life. Things changed a bit when we had children. Before that I was driven by a sense of personal achievement and discovery. After kids this was replaced by a desire to share my love for the outdoors with my children (and just staying sane and alive through the early years of extreme sleep deprivation!). For the first year or two I tried to keep our adventures just like before, but once our first child wanted to walk and not be carried and our second child came along things had to change.
We had to scale down our adventures to make them more manageable and enjoyable for everyone involved. Hiking with small children can be a very slow and frustrating process, but with some patience, planning, and the right mindset it is WONDERFUL (literally, the little kids are the best at teaching us to see and experience ‘wonder’). 5 years on I am amazed to see the fruit of this labour and excited to see what the future holds! I’ve grown quite good at planning these family adventures and I am excited to share them with others whenever I get a chance.
Art
I have always enjoyed painting and drawing but during my postgrad and young professional years it all got pushed to the side. After having my first child my mind was craving something other than the usual routine and my heart was desperately missing the mountains I loved (thanks to Covid!). In a way it was the ‘perfect storm’ to get me painting again. I often drew inspiration from the photos of the places we visited in the years past.
As the years went on I got increasingly better and braver at trying different techniques and more complicated compositions. As we moved on to exploring a wider variety of landscapes with kids my paintings gained more colour, plants, people, animals, and architectural structures (I love to include a nice lighthouse or a remote hut/bothy).
What does hiking with kids and creating art have in common?
Hiking with kids has made me into a better artist and, in my experience, hiking with kids and creating art has much in common!
It does wonders to your mental health;
It teaches you to slow down and learn what helps to regulate your stress levels;
It trains you to see and appreciate beautiful things and be grateful;
It grows your curiosity and ability to experience ‘wonder’ and ‘awe’;
It trains your problem solving and creative thinking skills;
It teaches you resilience (because sometimes things don’t work out the way you hoped and you have to keep going, troubleshoot, and try again later).
If you have kids, take them on an outdoor adventure. I won’t promise that it will be easy, but if you are willing to go past the ‘hard bits’ it will be beautifully enriching to everyone involved. If you are in Scotland and need some suggestions, get in touch via the Contact page and I would be happy to send you a few ideas!
Going on a wild-camping adventure, a great way to make a long hike more manageable and enjoyable for the little legs
Sketching outdoors, a rare privilege with little kids
