I don't want my children to be the people who refuse to touch a worm or a fish when they go fishing. We went camping yesterday, and the campground has a 60 acre private lake well stocked with fish. Naturally we took them fishing. Vincent has only a weight and bobber on his pole, but the girls get hooks. Since we actually wanted them the catch fish, Luis put live bait on their hooks.

He had run up to the camper to get something when Abigail lost her worm. She asked me to rebait it, but seeing as how I am one of those people who will not touch a worm or fish, I couldn't. I want to be able to touch them, but I have a major mental issue with it going back to junior high, and I cannot do it. No way.

However, if I have any hope of getting the kids to touch the worms, I can't let them know this. I told her it was time she learned to bait her hook and that I would instruct her how. Pretty tricky, I thought.

She got out the worm, broke it in half, and poked the hook through it once. Luis always likes the hook to be through the worm in two places, so I was telling her to poke the hook though again, but she wasn't understanding how. I actually grabbed the worm to show her how to position it to put the hook though again. I touched a worm. This is momentous.

Oh, the things we will do for out kids.

She grasped the concept and finished baiting her hook herself. She proceeded to do so for all of yesterday and today, and Luis taught her how to take her own fish off the hook too. Thanks to catching about 15 fish between yesterday and today, she now loves fishing and can't wait to go again. Maybe I can get her to bait my hook next time.