Adolescent Relationship Skills on a Historical Handcart Trek

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go to link by Kelly Roberts

go to link Educational legacies and the encompassing culture

https://geolatinas.org/fvgffn48x School legend buzz passed down from varsity level big brothers or sisters to elementary siblings is a powerful thing.  By the time the eldest child in a family gets through their K-12 education, the rest know what to expect. And regardless if the information is exact or not, it still helps.  It helps the younger children set their expectations. They learn a person can actually survive high school regardless of their fear of the unknown. They learn about the teachers, the environment, the traditions, the rivalries and the territory.

Tramadol Online Rx And in complementary fashion, the school learns about the students.  The staff learns the younger siblings are “connected” to former students of earlier years.  The faculty get to know the parents, the family style, the support structures and unique characteristics.  They gain an understanding of a given family legacy.

get link If a multiple sibling lineage isn’t in place, however, traditional school buzz is still passed along.  Sometimes parents of single children share stories.  Neighborhood children have “teaching” times where they fill in the new kid on the block regarding the school scoop.  And sometimes, the teachers even fill this role themselves.  They might share with a new group of students “what was done before,” or examples of “prior rituals or ideas from former years.”  In other words – an educational culture is developed and propitiated by those who manage it, who progress through it, and who contribute to its support.

Group trekking across the open praire, pulling their handcarts as they go

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https://getdarker.com/editorial/articles/bvi3ot6iax But educational cultures don’t just happen in schools.  They develop within families themselves, extra-curricular venues, and within spiritual formal or activity-based settings.  We’ll call this type of education a “naturally occurring” learning system: a system that has been in place for a period of time, that’s accepted by a group or society and is expected based upon precedent.

Order Tramadol Cod Saturday Delivery Naturally occurring lessons are a comfortable and “natural” way to learn about life…and in this post, lifetime relationships.

follow site Such is the case with the Hand Cart Trail excursions planned, managed, populated and supported by families and teens within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Or, as the members of the culture refer to themselves: The “LDS.”  The history, traditions, rituals and legacies woven into the fabric of these Hand Cart Trails encompasses many educational threads.

These teens were given a baby to protect as they navigated the trails

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go to link Another essay could be written about character qualities such as determination, planning or leadership.  However, this one is about relationship education for the participating LDS teens.

https://www.marineetstamp.com/trmjnvhvp4 These Hand Cart Trails provide a three day “workshop” for much of what is needed to prepare for intimate partnerships in the future of those who make the trek.  One location for these journeys taking place is right here in northeastern Oklahoma…on an 80,000 acre Pawhuska ranch owned by the Sooner Cattle Company.

http://www.mscnantes.org/x1r04t5cxy History of the Hand Cart Trails

https://penielenv.com/wnc3m4ag People of the Mormon faith used handcarts to move their belongings and supplies across the U.S. in the mid 1800s as they made their journey toward Salt Lake City.  There were many hardships, joys and challenges experienced along these treks. As part of a historically based “coming of age” transition into adolescence, LDS groups across the U.S. now re-enact the Handcart Treks.  Included in these 3 or 4 day journeys are games, lessons and activities.  However, the learning many times takes on a life of it’s own.  Relationship education lessons are taught to hundreds of LDS adolescents although the concepts are never named as such.

https://www.yolascafe.com/34fbcf4 Lessons Learned on the Trail

The open prarie terrain can get rough, and pulling the hand carts is no easy task

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Tramadol Where To Buy Uk The learning context for these teens is hard core.  One thing you’ll notice by the photos is that the participants don period dress for the journey.  Although treks can take place at various times of the year, the featured excursion happened in early summer and temperatures hit the 90s…or higher.  And, just as their ancestors did years ago, those involved pull the handcarts by hand across the bumpy bunches of Love and Native prairie grasses for three full days.

follow site The terrain is rough, the wind is hot, the clothes are heavy…and a few of the lessons taken in are detailed in the following text, along with the explanation of how they are delivered:

https://alldayelectrician.com/qm5lsc62v Tramadol Online Legal The role of mentors – New experiences such as this particular trek can throw adolescents for a loop.  Although they are equipped with the energy and the attitudes to accomplish the task before them, they have not yet covered the territory.  The mothers, fathers, or community leaders accompanying them on the journey have.  The proper supplies to pack, contingency planning, expectations for particular parts of the journey, and how to set the pace are all lessons the mentors have previously learned.  And, as they hand over that knowledge to those who have never made the trip, they also build relationships with the teens.

http://www.mscnantes.org/4korti0s3 As the teens learn to trust the mentors, they learn they are readily accessible resources for life wisdom beyond the open prairie.  Therefore, when rough patches come along in the future, the teens will have already had a history of working with mentors – seeking out advice while navigating the bumps along the proverbial future-marriage trail.

https://purestpotential.com/8i0fusafle click Negotiations of Responsibilities

https://www.mbtn.net/?p=qo7wgr4 In order for any large operation to be successful, there is a dividing up and a negotiation of various roles and responsibilities.  If someone in charge of water neglects their duties, the group suffers.  If someone in charge of repairs isn’t providing regular maintenance checks on the carts and equipment, the group could later be halted until repairs are made.  If the cooks aren’t prepared, then the group isn’t energized for the next leg of the trek.

Tramadol Canada Online Roles and responsibilities are one of the twelve core areas marriage preparatory education should cover (Olsen & Olsen-Sigg, 2000).  Practicing under the big sky…and being successful…lays the groundwork for future hope of success.

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Lowest Priced Tramadol Online One of the major components of the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) is a lesson entitled “Fun and Friendship” (Stanley, Markman & Jenkins, 2004).  So how did this particular group experience a little fun on the grueling, sweltering trail?  Well, it so happens that they came upon a river just about the time they felt they couldn’t go any further.

A young pioneer rests in the shade after cooling off in the river

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enter If you know anything about teens on a hot day with a water source around, you know what happened next.  Was this supported by the mentors?  Absolutely.  They joined in as well.

https://onlineconferenceformusictherapy.com/2025/02/22/m8w81emaj6 Will they teens remember this?  Absolutely.  Will they remember that they adults joined in the fun?  I’m not sure, but their instincts may remember.  At some point when things get tough in their future marriages and they see a “river” ahead, instinctively taking the option to jump in could be enough to kick-start their relationship with relief and renewal.  Resting together doesn’t hurt either.

https://www.mreavoice.org/16wboj7ppuj https://danivoiceovers.com/kplvyzs Empathetic Response Toward Each Other

Tramadol Legal To Buy Online One of the most intense and “grown up” lessons learned on the trail took place as a surprise to the members who were on their first trek.  As happens in traditional “ropes courses” during a team building exercise, there are certain elements that have a high level of difficulty.  The trail was no different.

https://www.marineetstamp.com/oo2r1ehe About half-way through day two, the group encountered an exceptionally steep drop of approximately 75-100 feet down the face of a ridge in order to continue on their journey.  And…they there was an equal rise to go back up on the other side…to get through the entire area and back onto the trail.

Tramadol Visa Overnight It took all the energy, ingenuity and resourcefulness the group could muster to move the entire cart train down the face and back up again.  They struggled, problem solved and stopped to rest when they could balance the carts in a safe place…all the while facing the reality that if someone slipped or stumbled, it could impact many others in front or behind them.

Cavalry commissioning males into the Morman Battalion. Yes, the guy looks like Wilford Brimley.

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As the last of the group pulled up and over the second ridge, they were met by soldiers dressed in Cavalry uniforms.  It was quiet on the prairie as the sweating and exhausted pioneers waited to see what was going to happen.  The answer was unexpected, as was the next set of instructions.

The leader of the Cavalry told the group that all the men must go with them immediately – that they had been called into service and they needed to report right away.  With hardly time to say goodbye, they were urged to leave “at once.”

Receiving instructions at the point the Cavalry met the group.

 

Even worse, the women were instructed that they couldn’t keep the cart train in the high place they were currently positioned.  They would have to turn around and cover the exact terrain they had just navigated without the men.

A description provided by one of the fathers on the trail filled in details of what emotions the young men began experiencing at that point.  His daughter filled in the gaps with the perspective of the women left behind…

From the men’s perspective: They knew how difficult the journey had just been for the entire group.  Their thoughts immediately turned toward their female counterparts.  They worried about them taking the entire train back up and down the ridge.  They worried about how they would manage the tasks they had been assigned.  They worried about their safety.  It was difficult for them to think about their own responsibilities – to protect their territory and hold their commissioned position, when they knew that their counterparts had just taken on twice the load as they had before the change in plans.

Their empathetic response toward those they had befriended on the trail was nurtured.  And, they were able to talk about their struggles with the older mentors who were at their side.

From the female’s perspective: Although the Cavalry commission was “pretend,” the females experienced at least a portion of what it might be like to say goodbye to a partner who might not return – who was leaving on a call of duty and may face danger or challenges unknown. It wasn’t real, but they could imagine what it must feel like for their male counterparts to face life-threatening work.  Again – the empathetic responses toward those they had befriended on the trail was nurtured.  And, they were able to talk about their struggles with the older female mentors who were at their side.

The women also experienced overwhelming feelings of not being able to accomplish their challenge at hand.  When they watched half their group leave, and arguably the physically stronger half, the situation seemed daunting – maybe impossible.

Women pulling carts back up the ridge to safety.

 

At this point, the oldest female on the trail rallied the troupes.  She gave them what was basically a vigorous pep talk.  She said, “Well ladies – come on!  We know what we have to do, so let’s get to it.  We can do this…I know we can.  YOU can do this!”  To look upon a mentor three or even four times their age and see the confidence conveyed was evidently a powerful thing for the young women.

They figured out what they needed to do, they reassigned responsibilities, they grabbed the handcarts…and with every ounce of strength left in their bodies they returned the entire train to a safer place for camp.

Summary

Naturally occurring family life education happens every day.  The Hand Cart Treks provide three challenging days full of memorable experiences that include all the lessons detailed here, and many more.

This article isn’t a scientific analysis of the efficacy of naturally occurring relationship education.  It is, however, an illustration of one of the many ways this phenomenon happens.  And, as many varieties there are of groups and cultures that exist, there are ways in which this education can be delivered.  So my question for you is this: Where in your own community can you help instill or enhance life changing relationship education for the adolescents in your life?

If you come to an answer, then I encourage you to rally the troupes, make the plans, negotiate the roles and set out on the trail to make it happen.  You never know when you’ll meet a river, or be called into duty during your adventure.

Happy trails!

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If You Like HGTV, Have I Got a Puzzle for YOU!

If you’ve had children who are 20-something, you probably recognize this routine:

Grieve when they graduate high school, move them to college, insert several years of school and several moves in here. Okay, maybe one move back home, then another out. Love develops, marriage ensues, graduation happens, and then? Another move – THIS time into their first home…the summary of my eldest’s last few years.

If you take that first paragraph and move around the sentences, delete college and insert hair school, no marriage yet, move into a rental home with roommates, and add helping with fix-it jobs around the home, then we’ve summarized my second child’s life. And, if you’ve been through this process at least once, you know your own home may, at times, serve as a furniture exchange service and holding company.

When relatives die, the furniture gets divvied up among the family members.  A pair of aunts or an uncle look a piece of furniture up and down, talk amongst themselves, then declare, “Here, THIS table might be good for Rylee when she moves out.”  Thus, a Duncan Fyffe table and chairs, plus matching occasional tables gets put where?  You got it.  Into the Mick and Kelly Roberts furniture depository (MKRFD).

Another relative or perhaps my child is at a garage sale and spies a “can’t-refuse” deal that will go nicely in the bedroom “whenever they get their own home someday,” and forthwith the piece is shipped to the MKRFD (single-car garage wing) and logged into the inventory for future withdrawal by said child.

Curiously, however, children continue to grow and make their way into the world and suddenly, days like today come along.  Promptly withdrawn from the MKRFD this morning was: a dining room table and chairs we’re giving the kids as a housewarming gift; Rachel’s bed she’s had since she was three or four, a painted and antiqued china buffet, four chairs we got from a business office giveaway, a micro-fiber sectional and matching pillows, an old antique dresser and mirror rescued from a great-uncle, and….

Wait. Our house can breathe…yes! On second thought…our house is empty!  You know what that means, right?  Time to redecorate!

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is where I could use your help.  Over the next year or two, I’ll be redoing our two “now” guest bedrooms and creating a new office in what used to be a formal dining room.  The office project is first.  Here is a photo of the space:

Continue reading If You Like HGTV, Have I Got a Puzzle for YOU!

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On the Horizon: One Victim Too Many

Childhood is supposed to be a fun and innocent time in our lives. While danger and fear is an unfortunate part of life, it should not permeate our youth. The schoolyard is meant for playtime and the classroom is a place for the mind to grow and prosper. As we go through the school system, be it private or public school, clicks and groups begin to separate. Kids begin to view others as not being good enough and others see their vulnerability as an excuse to lash out at other students. By the time students enter middle school, a definite pecking order is established and if you are at the wrong end you may find yourself shoved in a locker or falling victim to the all-too-famous “swirly.”

Today’s bullies are not only beating kids up on the playground, that will get them caught too easily, they are resorting to cyberbullying and emotional terror. Today’s victims are not just swallowing it and hoping it goes away either. They are taking matters into their own hands and either harming their attacker or themselves.

In today’s video blog, we take a look at how bullying affects students and what they are doing to stop it. While the footage they shot is fictional, the issue they go up against is all too real. These students are talented at what they do. They tell a gripping story and will inspire you to stand up and start a movement.
Andy Barth

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On the Horizon: World Food Paradox

Millions of people die every year for a ridiculous reason… they are just too poor to stay alive. Estimates are as many as seventeen thousand children die each and every day from hunger and malnutrition related illness.

It has been called the world food paradox. In the developed world we have so much food our life expectancies are actually falling because we eat too much and are dangerously obese. Meanwhile in the developing world millions starve or crippled by the lack of good nutrition.

For decades the Western world has tried to solve the issue with food aid. Well intentioned but too often detrimental to a poor country’s own agricultural structure. Today in our video blog, we are going to look at the issue of food insecurity in the developing world through the eyes of a group of Oklahomans who, thanks to a state department grant, have been working in Uganda, Africa.
Rob McClendon

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Motivational Speaker Heads to Oklahoma to Talk to CareerTech Teachers about Simple Sense

Well this week I visited the home state of my hero Will Rogers, Oklahoma. I was there doing a little speaking to folks about my take on common sense. You know that thing that everyone used to have but now only our grandmas and grandpas have.  And because common sense isn’t so common anymore, I’ve decided to repackage it and make it applicable to our modern Internet-driven age as Simple Sense. It’s pretty bad when you have to simplify something that is based on common sense.

Anyhow, the folks at Oklahoma Department of CareerTech and the teachers of Oklahoma got a dose of my Simple Sense, which has the power, if applied, to relieve-stress, increase-success, and improve-productivity, without any of the nasty side effects.

Now as students everywhere would be thrilled to hear, even teachers need a little schooling sometimes. These Oklahoma folks are spending the week talking about and getting tips on how to educate the Generation NEXT (you know, those who have never heard of a phone that plugs into a wall).  For this generation, short of twitter feeding them and serving up 5 hour energy drinks to keep them awake, you might have to pull a big stunt where you jump off of something and hurt yourself, jackass-style.

Outside the classroom, I noticed that things have changed with entertainment as well.  Every night that I look out into the house of the theater I work in, I see 2000 people sitting comfortably in their seats watching a show, but there are more than a handful, of all ages, that are texting, facebooking, taking pictures and sometimes I even see folks talking on their phones.  And this is all happening in a seat that costs $150.  My only guess is that someone else must have bought that seat for them!

When in Oklahoma, I said, “If a cat can lick its hind legs and get 3 million hits in the first 3 minutes, then the way we entertain and educate has to change.”  The good thing is that after my little talk with the Oklahoma teachers they got it, then again Oklahoma is home of the pioneer.

“In this modern day and age America`s newest slogan is: Mom, apple pie and high-speed Internet. They say you can live two weeks without food, a day or so without water but take someone`s smart phone away, and that person won`t last five minutes.”

– Will Roberts 

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Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.