“Thank God for kids there’s magic for a while.” – Thank God for Kids, The Oak Ridge Boys (1982)
A number of years ago I went off on another Bigfoot blogging adventure. Part of that project consisted of recruiting the offspring to assist via a glimpse of the perspective I had back in the 70’s. Today’s posting will be a blend of “old” and new from this bunch who were introduced to Bigfoot at an early age.
Artist’s renderings from the four kids over the years.
Children are interesting creatures in their own right. Those little sponges can flatter a parent when showing an interest in your passions such as baseball, music or fishing. They can also embarrass with a bit of colorful vocabulary or a raised voice when frustrated. Nothing too mysterious either way with these small humans, as it’s not hard to figure out where they get it. And, I suppose their Bigfoot affliction would reside somewhere midway between the proud and the uncomfortable ends of the parenting spectrum.
For example, our boy, Jayce (now age 8), used to don a camouflage hat and a pair of his sister’s pink boots to roam the house while wildly gesturing and repeatedly saying, “Find Bigfoot.” I found it entertaining to play along (minus the pink boots). But every time we got close, we somehow proceeded to chase him off instead of attempting a capture of our elusive subject.
Jayce hunting in 2011 and again in 2017 with brother, Zac. Attire varies over the years but still hot on the trail and full of imagination.
My girls also displayed interest and in hindsight I am glad that I jotted down a few tidbits from those conversations. For now, with one a teenager and the other approaching, Bigfoot is generally just an afterthought, indulged only when one of their little brothers gets the bug. However, there was a time…
Helena quotes at age 7 (now age 13):
“Put a trap out, a log he could trip over and maybe his mask would fall off.”
I inquired what to use as bait to trap Bigfoot to which Helena replied, “Berries.”
“It’s not scary, it’s just weird.”
“I hope it’s a guy because it’s kind of scary looking.”
Carly quotes age 5 (now age 11):
“Is it real? It could be a man in a suit.”
“Is Bigfoot nice? Does he want a friend? Maybe he just wants a friend.”
“We can trap him and say, ‘Are you the real Bigfoot?’”
I again asked what to use as bait to trap Bigfoot and Carly answered, “Humans.”
Jayce age 2 (now age 8):
“Turn it off, it’s pretty scary.” By the way, he still starts out brave but generally winds up with a similar response these days as he subconsciously backs away from a video playing on the television or computer.
Jayce age 8: “He doesn’t want to hurt people, he just wants them off of his territory.”
“He is a Wookiee.”
Zac age 6: “He doesn’t want to eat 10-pound bass.”
Bigfoot is well represented in our home
I’ll wrap up this entry with a final anecdote about my children’s quest that took place during a Labor Day weekend trip to Quincy, Illinois. Back in 2011with a brand new and future Bigfoot hunter on board we stopped a gas station/convenience store to take care of our business, stretch out and grab a snack. Jayce and I did our thing, tagged off for Julie and the girls and then waited in the van with sleeping little brother, Zac. More than several minutes later, Helena and Carly returned with the telltale grins that indicated something up the sleeve.
They’d found Bigfoot!
Right on the label of a large piece of Jack Link’s beef jerky and bought it for dear old dad; very thoughtful although a bit on the pricey side. It reminded me of one of those television commercials; “Gas – $60, big old chunk of jerky – $6, Bug Juice – $3, your children finding Bigfoot – priceless.”
Yep, not hard to find this version, if you know where to look.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” – Proverb
Talk to you tomorrow. Troy