There is no denying that fishing can teach a child patience. As the kid sits there, hour after hour, watching a little red and white bobber that is riding the waves and going up and down, up and down, up and down, that whole process can do nothing but help the kids learn to  anticipate events and to teach them to wait patiently.

And to spend the whole day and not catch a fish; heck, spending the whole day and not even getting a bite, now that teaches patience.

So yes, I do believe that the kid who grows up fishing regularly will in general be a more patient person than the kid who has never fished at all.

However, after teaching all four of my kids how to fish, I've become absolutely convinced that the real reason parents take their kids fishing is so that the parents can learn to become more patient themselves.

There are three primary aspects to this approach of using fishing as a Patience Development Tool. If we're going to discuss this correctly using modern educational techniques, then I suppose we need a TLA for this topic. TLA is Three Letter Acronym. Of course, the TLA for Patience Development Tool would be PDT. Isn't that the timezone on the west coast?

Anyway, the three parts to PDT are as follows:

1. The Time Warp
2. The Dry Line
3. The "How do I nonchalantly remove the hook from my kid's hair?" Conundrum

The Time Warp problem isn't solely an attribute of fishing, but at least for me it seems to be prevalent more with fishing than with any other activity in which my kids and I participate together.

The Time Warp is simply this: when time passes too quickly for the parent, it passes too slowly for the child.

In other words, you'll arrive at your destination, unload the car, get all the kids' poles rigged and baited, and get the lines out in the water. You'll have just started.

At that precise moment -- every time -- one of the kids will ask, "Dad, when can we go home?"

I will typically respond with, "We just got here!"

That's a bad move on Dad's part. The child senses that Dad is on the defensive now; like a shark, the child moves in for the attack.

Kid: "What time did we get here?"

Dad: "I, uh, didn't look at my watch."

Kid: "I think it was like two hours ago. You know, we shouldn't be out in the sun too long."

Dad: "The sun's not up yet."

Kid: "I'm hungry."

Dad: "You just ate three Egg McMuffins."

Kid: "I have to go to the bathroom."

Dad: "There's a jar in the car."

And so on and so forth.

Another way to put it is that the parent wants to fish for a few hours or more, and the kid is content to do one or two casts and then call it a day. See how that can help a parent develop patience?

Of course, the Time Warp works the other way too.

Kid: "Dad, it's 8pm. We missed lunch and dinner. Can we get something to eat and then go home?"

Dad: "I think I just felt a bite."

Kid: "Dad, you've said that every hour all day long."

Dad: "Oooo oooo wait ... this might be something."

Kid: "Dad, that's Billy ... he got tangled up in your line."

Dad: "But the fish are starting to bite. We caught that one, right?"

Kid: "That was at 5:45 am, like, this morning Dad. We haven't caught anything since."

Dad: "But we can't go home with only one fish. Your mom will kill us."

Kid: "Dad, you told Mom we'd be home by noon. She's already going to kill us. And she'll kill us even more if we don't come home at all."

Okay, I guess I can see how the Time Warp can help the kids with their PDT as well.

This doesn't need a lot of explanation. A simple example or two will suffice.

Dad: "Bobby, wait, don't cast until ... no, that's okay, but next time we'll make sure the line isn't tangled around Susan's legs. Susan, Bobby didn't mean to cast you into the water too. Yes dear, it is cold, I know ... you didn't bring a jacket? Here, you can borrow mine, just don't drop it in the ... that's okay Susan, it'll dry off from the surf, but pick it up before the ... wow that rip tide is moving quickly. It's okay Susan, I can get another jacket. Perhaps some big fish out in the ocean is cold and will be happy to find a nice new that-was-my-favorite jacket."

Dad: "What Billy? Tangled and snagged again? Here, let me help. I'll show you how to make it spring free, and ... okay, I guess I'll put another hook on your line. Down to the last one ... I didn't realize we'd go through 25 hooks in our first half hour of fishing ..."

Dad: "Bobby, could you put the lid back on the bait before it ... well, that's okay, we have a container of squid strips and ... what? Susan ate the whole thing? Are you feeling okay ... oh apparently you're not. At least we won't need to pump your stomach now. Well I guess we can use some of those Slim Jim sausages as bait, so if you could just hand one to ... Susan, you ate all those too?"

Dad: "Billy, careful when you cast, you might hook a ... oh wow, I've never seen a pelican hooked before. No, hang on to that rod Billy, it's my most expensive one. What? Shout louder, you're too far away for me to hear ... no, don't let go ... I know you're way out there now ... no, those look like dolphin fins ... "

Well, you get the idea. With young kids, especially, there's never a dull moment.

Dad: "Bobby, here, I'll put the worm on your hook. Oops, careful with that rod, you almost got the hook stuck in Susan's ... Susan, stand still, don't move. I don't think it's in your scalp, and ... oh you're right. Hair doesn't bleed. I think it's just a scratch though, and ... Bobby, don't pull ... Susan, the hook is totally embedded beneath the skin. Does it hurt or can you wait a few hours until we're done fishing and then we'll take you to the emergency room?"

Dad: "Here, let me cast for you, Jimmy."

Jimmy: "Dad, I can do it."

Dad: "I think you need my help. This is a tricky location for casting."

Jimmy: "I've been practicing casting at home, Dad."

Dad: "Here, I'll do the first cast, and then you can do the rest. See, push the button like this, bring the pole back, and ... okay, Jimmy, help me get the hook out of Susan's hair. Sorry Susan, I promise it'll grow back. You can wear a hat for a month or two, can't you?"

 One August weekend, a couple of years ago, I took the kids camping out on North Carolina's Outer Banks.  We camped at Oregon Inlet, north of Cape Hatteras, and we had a great weekend. 

As we were heading home, we had to stop for the draw bridge at Manteo to let a boat go through.  While we were there, the father and son in the pickup in front of us decided to fish from the bridge for a few minutes.

After a couple casts, the father went back into the cab.  The boy continued fishing.  He apparently wanted to do a big cast, so he brought the rod way back and then whipped it.  The problem was, he got his hook stuck in the back of his hair.  I could see it, my kids could see it, but the boy just stood there like nothing happened.  He did glance back at us once, hoping I think that we weren't watching.

Then he sort of nonchalantly walked back to the pickup, opened the cab door, and got in with his fishing pole.  We could see the father working diligently to remove the hook from the boy's head.

The boy wasn't hurt at all, just perhaps his pride.  I was laughing, but not at the boy.  I was laughing because that's precisely something that would happen to me.

Fishing ... yes it teaches patience, both to the kids and to the parent.  It's also a wonderful way to spend time together and create lasting memories!

If you do fish, none of this is new to you.

If you don't, I encourage you to try it.  You might like it!