Parents & Teens Pull Together While White Water Rafting

It’s True! Whitewater Rafting Helps Parents of Teenagers

A letter from a father with a 16-year-old daughter:

We create memories one moment at a time and I thought I’d share mine with you. My wife, daughter and I plus one of my daughter’s friends paid a visit to Rafting in the Smokies as part of our summer vacation. None of us had ever gone whitewater rafting before and I can assure you that we were more than a little nervous. Kassidy, my daughter’s friend, was very apprehensive about getting into a boat on the river. Of course there was no need to be nervous or to be apprehensive; the professional guides at Rafting in the Smokies are fantastic. Mike-O was our river guide and he got us so comfortable working together that by the second rapid Kassidy was yelling, “I want to do more, that was a blast!” My 16 year-old-daughter and I were seated in the very front of the boat; she on the left side and I on the right. As any father with a 16 year-old-daughter will tell you, these can be the most rewarding and difficult years of parenting. Sometimes communication can be a challenge to say the least, but let me tell you that a little whitewater rafting will fix all communication problems. You have got to communicate and you have got to work together, the whole boat must listen to the guide and react accordingly to his commands. We all had the time of our lives! It was more than just a rafting trip for me. I would sneak a peek at my daughter as we would head into a rapid; there was a confidence and intensity in her eyes. In that very moment I saw my little girl transform, she was growing up before my very eyes. In that moment I knew that the world may throw her a few curve balls along the way, but in the end she is going to be okay. I want to thank the owners and the staff at Rafting in the Smokies for allowing me to experience a special moment with my family, you are the best at Whitewater Rafting in Tn and creating a wonderful family environment.