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Why Smart Parents Do the Same Dumb Thing- Excerpt

Recently I have been working on my new book "Why Smart Parents Do the Same Dumb Thing". Please enjoy a brand new excerpt from my upcoming book.

DUE DILIGENCE. You don't want your children to go through their lives without thinking of the big picture of life. You want them to be prepared for challenges they'll meet, lest they become traumatized or grievously wounded by them. For example, you wouldn't want your teenaged son or daughter to hike anywhere in our Ko'olau Mountain Range without first understanding the topography of Oahu. The Windward side of Oahu is not just on the other side of the mountains that you can see from Honolulu. There are heavily forested mountains and valleys with heavy underbrush between Honolulu and windward Kailua. Unlike older geological formations, it's not a good idea to follow streams or rivers to find your way out of our forests. Our rivers and waterfalls usually lead into traps between rock walls too high to climb out of and too steep to climb down. Furthermore, there isn't a gentle sloping, descent from the Leeward side to the Windward side. There's a wall of sheer cliffs that range from about 1,000 to 3,000 feet in elevation, we callthe Pali. These sheer cliffs run across practically the entire island of Oahu. You can't rappel down these cliffs because of our volcanic geology. All of our islands are made up mainly of basalt rock that splits vertically into columns, not horizontally like granite. They're much more brittle than granite rock. Basalt rock won't hold pitons or spikes from which to hang ropes. Sometimes whole cliff sides break away as a hiker steps on solid looking rock, resulting in serious injuries or death. Try googling images of basalt and granite rocks, it'll give you a clear idea of how important it is to know what kind of rock foundation you're walking over.

Likewise, all of the Hawaiian Islands are basically made of basalt but each island is different. Take Hawaii Island for example. It is much, much larger than any of our other islands. You have to go a lot further to find a place to get a quick snack or drink than on Oahu. It's easier to get lost there, than it is on Oahu. It has the added dangers of active volcanoes and large, heavily, forested areas with thick underbrush that hide hollow lava tubes underfoot, through which you can fall and be lost forever. You don't want your children to go hiking in our Hawaiian Islands without doing their due diligence or homework. Perhaps everyone should join the local hiking organizations to learn about the peculiarities of the local terrain, before they strike out on their own. Shouldn't you do your research and preparation whenever you start out in any unknown territory or endeavor, no matter how pleasant and easy it looks? Shouldn't this kind of preparation apply to most things you attempt? Shouldn't you do your due diligence before you try out something new, because children learn from their parents?

Thanks for reading and look out for my new book "Why Smart Parents Do the Same Dumb Thing".


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