Our 383rd Dad in the Limelight is Jeff Alt. I want to thank Jeff for being a part of the Dads in the Limelight series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing him with all of you.
1) Tell me about yourself, (as well as how you are in the limelight for my readers knowledge).
I’m a speaker, hiking expert, speech language pathologist, and the award-winning author of A Walk for Sunshine: A 2,160 Mile Expedition for Charity on the Appalachian Trail, 3rd Edition
2) Tell me about your family
I’ve been married for over 14 years. We have two children Madison and William. We live in Cincinnati Ohio.
3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?
Our world is changing rapidly and we (my wife and I) want to give our kids the best childhood experience ever so they will grow up and be able to adapt and succeed with whatever circumstance comes their way. We want to make sure we’re giving our kids our “A” game. You only get one shot at raising a child. America offers us the freedom to go after our dreams and we want our kids to take full advantage of that. We want our kids to experience the power of going after BIG dreams. We want them to know they have the ability and freedom to take those first steps in pursuit of their BIG dreams and goals.
4) What advice would you give to other fathers?
I’m still learning as I go along, but this I do know from my experience. Create unstructured outdoor opportunities together with your kids that allow them to lead, play and discover. We are in an age where us parents hover and control (ex. play dates, team sports); for good reason. But, our kids today spend an exorbent amount of time inside in the structured classroom or in front of the computer. They need time outdoors. They need quality time with you and they need unstructured time. Set aside a sacred time each day to get outside with your kids and let them lead. Take walks and hikes together letting them lead the pace. Stop and take interest in whatever they are showing interest in. Let them pick the activity while you’re outdoors (ex. hide and seek, geocaching, creeking, bike riding etc.).
5) Seeing that you (or your position) are in the limelight, how have you come to balance parenthood and outside life? If you are currently not in the limelight per se, please still answer this in regards to how you balance parenthood and outside life.
I’ve utilized my “limelight” to give my kids an opportunity to feel the success of going after dreams at their level of comfort. This past summer, my latest book, Get Your Kids Hiking: How to Start Them Young and Keep it Fun, gave us the unique opportunity to go on a book signing tour together. My wife and kids had the opportunity to appear on four television shows and we were featured together in several newspaper and magazine articles. We did the interviews together and this allowed my kids to build their public presentation skills and experience the success of publishing a book and all the media opportunities that come with that. We also presented several family hiking clinics together and everyone had a blast. But, we only included our kids in the media if they wanted to do the interview. We also spend lots of time together, out of the limelight, focusing on each other during family hikes, outdoor adventures and perusing our kid’s personal interests. Madison is in gymnastics and girl scouts and William is in his third year of soccer and wants to try baseball next season. We make a point to let our kids be kids without cameras and audiences.
6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?
Every father has something positive to offer and learn from. My dad introduced me to camping. He’s also been an excellent role model on being compassionate and sticking with your children through life regardless of their mental or physical disposition. My brother Aaron was born with cerebral palsy and lives at Sunshine, a home for people with developmental disabilities. My dad remains very close to Aaron and visits him weekly and takes him on outings. My stepfather introduced me to the Appalachian Trail and taught me to stick with a goal and never give up. When I hiked the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail, he kept me focused until the very end. He then went on and completed his own 2,000 mile Appalachian Trail journey over a nineteen year span. My father in law has impressed me with his ability to put his own interests aside and support his kids and grandkids. My father in-law has been there for every one of my wife’s major achievements and he’s joined us for all of our kid’s achievements (birthdays, performances, etc.).
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?
I wouldn’t trade being a father for anything. Raising kids is the most rewarding adventure I’ve ever been on.
8) What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?
- Walking across Ireland with my daughter on my back on a family hike.
- Hiking with our 8 week old son on the Appalachian Trail.
- My daughter standing up and telling an audience of 300 that she wants to hike the entire Appalachian Trail when she’s 10.
- Hiking and camping together as a family.
If you can send me the answers to the above questions as well as 3-4 pictures of yourself and any other pictures you would like included in your post.
If you have any questions for Jeff, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!
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