Parenting Lessons from Lawson Adventure Park

Let me start by sharing that Lawson Adventure Park provided our family with the most awesome opportunity to explore, take risks and grow together.  In return for their generously providing us with day passes to play in their amazing outdoor playground, I am sharing my experiences and some of my lessons.  The ideas and thoughts are my own.  While I have some great parenting lessons from Lawson Adventure Park, I am just as excited to share some of the amazing Colorado views and nature photos.   Here I go!

The drive up to Lawson (right past Idaho Springs and about and hour from Denver) is amazing.  It is simply breathtaking.  I might have been riding with my feet up on the dash as we sang along to Taylor Swift.

Once we arrived at the main building for Lawson Adventure Park, we didn’t waste any time.  The fantastic, friendly (and incredibly knowledgeable) guide helped us get geared up for safety.  We had a reservation and I was super impressed that they were ready and waiting with our gear all set up for us!

Then we loaded into the shuttle van for the quick ride to the challenge course.

The guides were super and explaining the course and supporting our adventure.  Before we began, we did family training on how to use the equipment in an area that is set up just for this purpose.

The girls took major risks and I could almost see their self esteem growing outside of themselves.  As a parent, this is an amazing sight!  Jordan was hesitant but with time and encouragement did phenomenal things.  She crossed this ladder high in the sky.

We worked together as a team with tons of cheerleading from out guides on the ground.

After we completed an hour on the Challenge Course, we all tried the ZORB.  This giant ball rolls down the mountain with YOU and a bunch of water IN IT!  It was crazy fun!  Here we are BEFORE going down.

And here is Ryp before getting out at the bottom!  SOAKED!

This was our first time as a family doing a challenge course and the ZORB.  We have done a lot of things and encouraged our kids to take risks (skiing, indoor sky diving, boogie boarding in the waves, etc.) but this was different in that each kiddo was really on their own journey in the course…going at their own pace.  After a day of reflection, here are my top four parenting lessons from that day.

1. Be Patient.  – While I was scared and nervous for myself, it was more difficult that usual to access a deep level of patience with the girls.  But…by doing so, I created space for them to step into their own power and cause their own successes on the course.
2. Lead by example. – I went first.  I fell.  I messed up.  I struggled.  Jordan laughed and in that laughter I heard a sense of calmness in her.  It was as if she realized through my struggle and my commitment to get through it, she could do it too.
3. Be quietly encouraging. – It became evident from the start that I would need to talk Jordan through a lot of the course.  A lot of the encouragement was silent and showed up as smiles and hugs.  Much of it was reminding her that she had plenty of time and that there was zero rush.  When a child is taking a huge physical risk, often times loud cheering shuts them down but quiet messages of encouragement are supportive.
4. Team up with the guides. – They are there to help, to support and to ensure safety.  They have great tips for the course and genuinely cared about our success.

Here are a few tips too.

• Stay hydrated.
• Eat a healthy snack on the road up if you are coming from Denver.
• Plan ahead and show you kiddos what you are going to be doing.
• Discuss teamwork and ways to support each other with your kids BEFORE you start.
• Leave a good tip for your guides.
• Buy the t-shirt!  The memory of your adventure can live on in your wardrobe.

I can’t wait to do this again.  I am super excited to plan a trip here with my Cadette Girl Scouts and my Bunco Club Gals.

Cheers to Family, Adventure and Colorado,

Laura