Submitted Photo Geremy Olson, Washburn, shares a lighter moment with son Peter. Olson has authored a book titled “Campfires, Kids, and the Outdoors”, a thoughtful compilation of the lessons he’s learned about parenting.

WASHBURN — He calls it “outdoors lessons for the real world”.

He is Geremy Olson, owner/producer of 241 Ink Productions in Washburn and author of the just released book “Campfires, Kids and the Outdoors.”

That Olson authored a book is in itself quite an accomplishment. He’s overcome his own challenges in life. Dyslexic, he was told by his second-grade teacher that he was stupid and shouldn’t be in public school.

Olson persevered despite his dyslexia, eventually graduating from Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota with a double degree in broadcasting and Bible.

“I had a person read to me every night through college. That’s where I met Kirsten. She did a good job so I kept her,” laughed Olson. “I’m a huge advocate of education, I just don’t read. I’ve never read a book for fun.”

Not even knowing what letters to push on a keyboard, Olson says he has relied on “voice to text” messaging for 25 years. His life took a terrible turn in 2005 when, working as a volunteer firefighter, has was caught in a blaze and severely burned.

“We lost everything in a gradual destruction of our business and finances,” stated Olson. “It was a time when every financial decision we made was a no-win situation. Money wasn’t tight, it was nonexistent.”

Through it all Olson and his wife, Kirsten, had children to raise. They realized the most important thing you can give your kids is yourself and to learn from children how to have fun again.

“It’s fun to learn together as a family, the value of hard work, determination, and what it means to have faith,” writes Olson. “Kirsten and I came up with just three punishable offenses: lying, disobedience, and disrespect.”

Olson says an important part of raising children was recognizing when the kids did something wrong out of ignorance.

“We simply explained and then made clear to them that if it happened again, we would apply a known punishment,” said Olson.

Campfires, Kids and the Outdoors is crammed with wonderful experiences, mostly formed in the outdoors, about how children learn and how a parent reacts to various situations.

“This is a book of stories, mistakes about raising kids. It gives permission to raise kids different than the world tells us to,” said Olson. “There’s so many rules and regulations in our life. Parenting is simpler than most people tell us. A mistake is when we make it more complicated than it needs to be.”

An example cited in Olson’s book comes from a Sunday morning church service when his sons were conversing a little too loudly. Rather than give them an evil eye, a sharp poke in the side and a stern warning to stop talking, Olson leaned over and told them to use their hunting voice.

“It got to be a game with them to see who could be the quietest,” said Olson.

The boys had learned to whisper softly to each other while hunting with their father, a lesson learned outdoors that easily transferred indoors. Olson’s book is filled with similar examples.

“There are so many principles we learn in the outdoors that are so important. The first step is by example like leaving everyplace better than you found it,” said Olson. “Be there for you kids and help them grow up to what God made them to be, not what we want them to be.”

Olson says people need to learn how to put life in perspective, enjoy the company they are with, and be content with what nature delivers on any particular day. No hurrying rather than enjoying an outdoor experience and never be afraid to say you’re sorry to your kids.

The book is basically divided into four parts – relationships, skills, principals, and the future. Throughout the pages the reader will find multiple instances that apply to almost any parenting challenge. One axiom of Olson’s found in the book is that “kids gain responsibility with experience, not age.”

“If there’s a lesson we need to remember, it’s that,” concluded Olson.

There’s another lesson too.

“Too often as parents we get sidetracked in getting stuff for our kids. But when it comes down to it, what kids really want are parents who love them and care for them. The most effective way to show them we love them and care for them is to give them our time and attention. If you raise expectations, people always meet those expectations,” said Olson.

Many of Olson’s parenting experience comes from time spent fishing with his children, sharing a campfire along a shoreline, and watching the setting sun. He discovered those memorable times he was passing down from his father taught his children values that apply to instances in everyday life.

“Eat some cheap food over a campfire, stay out too late, laugh together, and make memories on a shoreline near you,” said Olson.

Campfire, Kids and the Outdoors is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble on-line, and at Missourisecretes.com. In addition, the book will be for sale at Pride of Dakota shows in Minot in November and Bismarck in December.