I grew up in a different kind of Vermont than my kids are growing up in now.
Not completely different, but enough that I notice it all the time.
When I was young, being outside wasn’t really something you planned around. It was just where you were. If you wanted to find someone, you checked the woods, the river, or whatever back road everybody was riding bikes down that day.
We spent hours outside without thinking much about it.
My kids still enjoy the outdoors, but they experience it differently from the way I did. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just the reality of how things have changed.
The Outdoors Used to Be the Default
When I was growing up outside St. Albans, hunting and fishing were part of regular life.
Weekends meant being in the woods with my father or uncles. Sometimes we were hunting. Sometimes we were scouting. Sometimes we were just walking around, learning things without realizing it.
Nobody called it “getting outside.” That phrase didn’t even exist back then.
It was just normal life.
“There wasn’t much separation between life and the outdoors when I was a kid,” is probably the best way I can explain it.
Now it feels more scheduled. More intentional.
Kids today usually have organized sports, phones, school activities, and a hundred other things competing for their attention.
Back then, the woods won most of the time by default.
Technology Changed Attention Spans
This is the obvious one, but it matters.
When I was younger, sitting quietly outside didn’t feel unusual. That was just part of the experience. You learned patience because there wasn’t constant stimulation pulling your attention somewhere else.
Now everything moves faster.
Phones, videos, notifications, social media. Kids are used to constant activity and instant feedback. The outdoors works the opposite way.
The woods are quiet. Slow. Uneventful sometimes.
That adjustment can be tough at first.
I’ve noticed with my own kids that it takes them longer to settle into it. But once they do, they usually enjoy it more than they expected.
“It takes time to slow your brain down now,” I’ve told people before. “That didn’t used to be the case.”
They Appreciate Different Parts of It
When I was young, the focus was mostly on the activity itself. Hunting, fishing, tracking, learning the land.
My kids notice different things.
Sometimes they care more about the experience than the result. Being out on the lake at sunrise. Seeing wildlife. Riding dirt roads. Sitting around after a long day outside.
They still enjoy catching fish or seeing deer, but there’s less pressure around it.
Honestly, I think that part’s probably healthier.
Kids today seem more interested in balance than competition. At least mine do.
Access to Information Changed Everything
When I learned to hunt and fish, most information came from older people around you.
You learned through trial and error. Through mistakes. Through spending time outside.
Now kids can watch hundreds of videos before ever stepping into the woods.
That changes expectations.
Many younger people think success should come quickly because information is easier to access now. But experience still takes time, no matter how many videos you watch.
“You can explain something to somebody all day,” I always say, “but they still have to go out and experience it themselves.”
The outdoors still teaches patience, whether people want it to or not.
The Weather Feels Different Now
This is something I think about more every year.
The seasons don’t feel as consistent as they used to. Winters change. Ice conditions change. Deer movement shifts. Fishing patterns move around differently.
My kids are growing up learning a version of Vermont outdoors that already feels different from the one I grew up with.
There were winters when I was younger where you could almost count on certain conditions showing up every year. Now things feel less predictable.
You adapt to it, but you notice it.
They Have More Choices Than We Did
Part of the difference is simple.
Kids today have more options.
When I was younger, there weren’t endless forms of entertainment sitting in your pocket. Being outside filled the space naturally.
Now the outdoors has to compete with everything else.
Sports, streaming, gaming, phones, social media. Kids can stay occupied indoors indefinitely if they want to.
That means outdoor time becomes more of a conscious decision now.
I don’t blame kids for that. The world changed around them.
What Hasn’t Changed
Even with all the differences, some things still stay the same once you get outside long enough.
Quiet still matters.
Patience still matters.
People still relax differently once they spend enough time away from screens and noise.
I’ve seen it with my own kids. At first they might seem distracted or restless. Then after a few hours outside, things slow down.
Conversations get easier. People pay attention more. Nobody’s rushing as much.
The outdoors still does that if you give it time.
I Try Not to Force It
One thing I’ve learned as a parent is that forcing kids into the outdoors usually backfires.
My father’s generation approached things differently. You went because that’s what everybody did.
Now I think it works better to let kids build their own relationship with it.
Sometimes that means shorter trips. Less pressure. More room for them to enjoy things their own way.
I want my kids to appreciate the outdoors, but I also know they’re growing up in a completely different world than I did.
That changes how they connect with it.
Experience Still Matters
Even though things are different now, I still believe time outside teaches people things they can’t really learn anywhere else.
Awareness. Patience. Problem-solving. Respect for weather and conditions.
You learn how to slow down a little.
That part hasn’t changed between generations.
My kids may experience the outdoors differently than I did, but I still think it gives them something valuable. Maybe now more than ever.
And honestly, that’s probably enough.