Burl's First Send

Well, it finally happened.  Burl hit 35 pounds, the minimum weight for the kid harness at the climbing gym.  John and I volunteer there a few times a month in exchange for a free membership.  We usually work the kiddie parties, so we've seen first hand the best ways to get a kid up a wall.  It usually starts with the parents being the least involved that they can, and a third party being the adult to supervise.  Joseph was the natural choice, being that he's the third parent, family climber, and Burl's almost-idol.  John had Fern, I had the camera, and Joseph had Burl.  

He had a little issue with his harness and didn't want shoes, so we rolled with the punches and let him go barefoot.  Now, Burl has been to the gym plenty of times and seen us in action, so he had some idea of what to do.  We had no idea he knew exactly what to do.  Without fear or hesitation, he jumped on the wall and started working his way up.  The only instruction he needed was the occasional "high feet" and "work your hands up."  Well, for a little bit until Joseph called me over to come show him where to move and what to do.  I gave gentle instructions and Burl replied calmly with an "o-tay."  He can't say "ok" but he can climb.  

He seemed to have fun and did really well until he realized if he let go of everything he just got to swing.  Climbing turned into climb three moves then let go and laugh as John lowered him down.  We let him do that several times, then called the brief little time a success and headed to dinner.  

He didn't make it to the top, but that wasn't the goal.  The goal was for us to try something fun as a family, get Burl in a harness and on the wall without any major meltdowns.  Being able to calmly instruct him was a total bonus.  If farming doesn't work out for Burl, climbing might just be another option.