Lessons Kids Have Taught You

[Rich]

This is kind of an odd story. But my dad's tournament partner for years ; hated sheephead (freshwater drum). He hated them so much, that he used to kill every one he caught. Until young Rich (and I mean young, like 6) went pre-fishing for a tourney with me and dad one day. That day we were fishing the nanticoke outflow, and his friend hooked what he thought was the bass they were looking for. It came up to be a big sheephead. He angrily tossed it on the rocks.

 

I being a righteous kid, piped up "go and throw him back right."

 

He shrugged and said "those are garbage fish."

 

I then went on a rant only a child could muster up in rage as a kid brought up to respect our natural laws and resources; "what if you were born ugly? Really ugly? So ugly no one would look at you? Then one day one of those people threw you on rocks to die?! How would you feel?!"

 

He got out of the boat and put the sheephead back in the water. He never killed a sheephead again.

 

Has a child ever taught you a lesson in such form?

 

That is by the way, 100% true story, from the heart. It makes me tear up writing about it.