Go West, Young Man
- Allan Shedlin
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Guest Post by Josh Givens
Writer and Dad Blogger
EDITOR'S NOTE: The original version of the following post was published June 17, 2021, on Josh's blog, My Thoughts in Orbit. It's reprinted here with his permission:
We were standing there on the side of a mountain, looking over the edge at this enormous gulch below. It was mostly rocky, with a few trees here and there. But the other side was completely covered in pine trees. More pine trees than I've ever witnessed in one location. I seriously could not fathom how many trees grew on the side of that mountain.
All the way down at the bottom, a tiny creek ran through the gulch. My mind wandered about how this might have looked a million years ago, and how this gulch was cut through the side of this mountain.
I pulled Bryce in close and said, "Just look at this, man. Look at how big this mountain is and think about how small we really are." I told him when you look at the Bighorns on a map, they are about this big and held up my pointer finger and thumb to indicate about an inch. "But then when you get out here and see it first-hand, you can't put into words how big it really is."
Being out and seeing the world, and being a 24-hour car ride from home made me think about the time I told my mom that I was moving with my friends to Dayton. Needless to say, she did not enjoy that conversation. Growing up in a home where driving to Columbus was a huge deal, I wasn't too surprised by her reaction. I honestly don't think she spoke to me for about a week after that.
"Mom, it's two hours away. I can leave at 7 a.m. and still be here in time for breakfast."
But I have no regrets. Traveling around with my friends in a punk rock band taught me lessons I still think about to this day.
All these years later, I get it. Thank you, momma, for caring enough about me to not want to see me go away. Not all children these days have parents, much less ones that do whatever they can to make sure their kids make smart decisions.
Our number one job as parents is to do what we can to protect our kids. The world we live in today is a scary place. We have to look out not only for their physical safety, but also their emotional safety. It tears me up to wonder what went on in his brain when I had to explain to him what to do if anyone other than me were to harm or grab him in Walmart. He's also come home before and told me someone said something mean at school – and I find myself wanting to fight a 9-year-old. There are just too many things in this world today to try to shield them from.
Which brings me to the damn snake.
On a beautiful morning fishing at Muddy Guard Reservoir # 2 – complete with a backdrop looking like something straight off the canvas of a Bob Ross painting. Bryce and I just had to encounter a slithery bastard, who made his way to within mere feet of us on the trail, like he owned the place. Not being from there, I had no idea what kind of snake this was and all I could think about in that moment was seeing the rattlesnake signs in the Badlands the day before.
I put my hand over Bryce's chest and pulled him in as close to me as I could – feeling his little heart beating harder than the drums on Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak. Now, I know every parent says they would take a bullet for their kids, but to actually prove it to myself – putting myself between him and this death noodle – honestly made me feel good. Snakes scare the hell out of me.
Not all children these days have parents, much less ones that do whatever they can to make sure their kids make smart decisions.
I want to show my son the world so he's not afraid of how big it is when he's older. I want to show him what it feels like to be in awe. I want to make sure he knows what it feels like when someone cares, and when someone doesn't. I want to show him how to treat others. I want to show him how to act when he wins and when he loses.
I don't want him to overlook. I want him to seek. I want him to experience joy, and wonder, and be amazed by the immensity. I want to do everything I can to set him up for a life he loves.
But, most importantly, I don't want him to be more than a few hours away for breakfast.
Daddying Film Fest 2026
The 5th annual Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) welcomes film and video submissions, including TikToks and Instagram reels, from students (3rd-graders through undergraduates), Dads/Granddads, Dad figures, and indie filmmakers worldwide! Dads/Granddads, Dad figures, and students can submit videos/films for FREE on D3F's FilmFreeway page through Friday, Oct 3, 2025. Regular entry deadline is Monday, December 8.
And DC-region student and Dad singers, rappers, bands, choirs, dancers, and poetry slammers, don't forget this year's NEW Daddying Film Forum Opening Acts Contest! We're hosting a music, poetry, and dance video competition to choose opening acts that will perform live at the 4th annual Daddying Film Forum in Washington, DC, January 30-31, 2026. The contest is open to local DC, Maryland, and Virginia students, Dads/Dad figures, and Granddads across a range of musical, spoken-word, and dance performance categories. Contest entries are FREE* but must be submitted no later than October 3, 2025.
Not from the DMV? No problem! Even if you're not located in DC, MD, or VA, we'd love for you to create/submit a daddying-related music/dance video for D3F 2026 consideration, and all student and Dad/Granddad/Dad figure entries are still FREE if submitted by October 3, 2025. Students/Dads/Dad figures will still be eligible to earn Atticus Awards and prize money in their respective award categories! Check D3F's website for more details.
*NOTE to choir/dance directors, teachers, and other adults submitting videos for students: please submit your FREE contest video entry on FilmFreeway as a "student" submission to ensure properly categorized.
Josh Givens is a proud single Dad, writer, and former award-winning newspaper columnist honored by the Ohio Newspaper Association in 2016. His writing journey began with a bi-weekly newspaper column in 2015, where he learned the power of storytelling through sharing stories about his life and parenthood. His new book, “My Thoughts in Orbit: Movella Nutella Umbrella Patella,” is a sequel to “My Thoughts in Orbit: An Accidental Memoir About Thinking Too Much." Both are available on Amazon and are collections of chronological, previously-published blurbs from his newspaper column paired with a companion pieces that provide added context for why and when the originals were written. Follow him on Instagram.
