My seven-year-old son is pictured here starting our first campfire of the season—with a magnesium and flint striker. Yes, I let him do it. And yes, my son can be impulsive. So the obvious question follows: why would I hand something dangerous to a child who doesn’t always think before he acts? Shouldn’t I protect him from that? Shouldn’t I step in, control the risk, and keep him safe from himself? That instinct—to remove danger, to minimize risk, to protect at all costs—is co

I’ve been reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and it truly is a beautifully written book. Kimmerer offers a deeply reflective look into her worldview and her relationship with nature, beginning with her people’s creation story—a narrative rooted in connection, reciprocity, and belonging. She makes a compelling point: stories shape how we relate to the world. When a creation story emphasizes kinship with the earth, people are more likely to live in harmony with

My wife came up to me and said our son had eaten some old pepperoni and his stomach wasn’t feeling great. I took one look at some of the pepperoni he was eating from and thought, Yeah… that’s not good. This could turn into a long day. I found my son, looked him in the eyes, and told him two things: he wasn’t in trouble, and he didn’t do anything wrong. But he did eat some bad pepperoni, and he might end up getting sick. Then I told him we were going to try a few things to hel