Sam2011 Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 So, we found some trackables on our recent weekend in South Dakota. Noting that there are not many trackables, locally, I thought I would get some miles on them, and bring them back with us for people to enjoy. I have made it a point to leave them in numerous locations, locally. My issue is this...my son has a friend who also geocaches. His friend, we have noticed, tends to revisit caches over and over (he has taken three trackables from one cache in the past month...and our town only has two caches even large enough to hold a TB or geocoin), and stockpile the trackables. He only logs some of them, and from what we can tell, he sits on them for months, and loses some of them. He never seems to log all of them or actually release them again, except sporadically (over the weekend he went out of town and found over 40 caches, and released one TB). Since he doesn't travel far, or often, I guess it makes sense that what he finds doesn't move for long periods of time. To combat his lack of courtesy (IMO), I showed him all our trackables, and gave him all the numbers to "discover" them. I then began releasing them in the belief that since he had the numbers he would leave them, and allow them to be found by others...hopefully someone who would move them on to their missions. Last night he called me, mad because he had tried to find three of them to get the trackables from caches he had visited before, and only found one - which he took. I was really annoyed since I gave him the numbers in the hope he would leave them for others to enjoy. So, last night I trekked through the woods all over the place taking the two back that he hadn't nabbed to re-release this morning in a town about 45 minutes away. I was so disturbed by the thought that he is stockpiling TBs for no other reason than to have them. Am I being ridiculous?? My co-worker "jokingly" called me a fun killer...and the kid has called my cellphone four times in the hour since school got out; I would assume to ask where the other two are (he called me 9 times last night to find out what happened to one of them he couldn't find last night). Thoughts? Quote Link to comment
+Kochibu Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 What the hell is wrong with him? Trackables are supposed to travel and not to stay forever in a room never to be seen again. Infact, HE is the fun killer. He is destroying the fun for both, other cachers and the TB owner. You should really make him release all the TBs he gathered and/or let you "grab" them from him so you could move them along. There really is no point in stealing (yes, I consider this stealing) Trackables if you have no intention in moving them. Quote Link to comment
+Keelmann And Cici Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Sounds like he's just stealing many of the trackables. I'd try to explain the purpose of trackables, but if he's already aware, and takes them anyway, I certainly wouldn't discuss caching with him again, and if i knew what trackables he had kept, id try to inform the owners of the fate. Just my point of view. Quote Link to comment
TheDoctorPH Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 how old is this kid? if hes as young as he sounds then you might just need to explain to him that hes stealing and its wrong. if not then hes just horribly immature and inconsiderate. all in all sounds like he needs a good talking to. Quote Link to comment
+Sundance Cassidy Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 It sounds like he has emotional problems.....calling numerous times about travel bugs???? That is a little strange. Quote Link to comment
Sam2011 Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) how old is this kid? if hes as young as he sounds then you might just need to explain to him that hes stealing and its wrong. if not then hes just horribly immature and inconsiderate. all in all sounds like he needs a good talking to. He is in 6th grade. I have repeatedly talked about geocaching with all the kids (we have a group of kids that enjoy going out together once in a while), and mentioned that "we all need to release the TBs and geocoins as soon as possible" as they should be gone or moving within 2 weeks MAX. Every time we take him with us I casually mention how important it is to release them as soon as possible. I also talk about how I release mine locally because there are so few, and I do it so that many people can enjoy them and get them moving elsewhere...he nods and agrees, but never seems to do it. I also confiscate any that I can when we are all together so that ALL the kids can "discover" them, but I have posession so I can get them back out there. Even his parents have mentioned how he needs to be releasing them...yet they keep taking him back to the same caches and letting him retrieve new ones. So sadly...I am now raiding local caches and moving them to a town 55 miles away where I work. Edited December 2, 2011 by Sam2011 Quote Link to comment
+adt1982 Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 His parents need to stop enabling him. It sounds like they are trying to be his buddies by taking him out time and time again and letting him do something that he likes but that they know is not right. His parents could nip this habit in the bud very quickly. Quote Link to comment
+Gan Dalf Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 how old is this kid? if hes as young as he sounds then you might just need to explain to him that hes stealing and its wrong. if not then hes just horribly immature and inconsiderate. all in all sounds like he needs a good talking to. He is in 6th grade. I have repeatedly talked about geocaching with all the kids (we have a group of kids that enjoy going out together once in a while), and mentioned that "we all need to release the TBs and geocoins as soon as possible" as they should be gone or moving within 2 weeks MAX. Every time we take him with us I casually mention how important it is to release them as soon as possible. I also talk about how I release mine locally because there are so few, and I do it so that many people can enjoy them and get them moving elsewhere...he nods and agrees, but never seems to do it. I also confiscate any that I can when we are all together so that ALL the kids can "discover" them, but I have posession so I can get them back out there. Even his parents have mentioned how he needs to be releasing them...yet they keep taking him back to the same caches and letting him retrieve new ones. So sadly...I am now raiding local caches and loving them to a town 55 miles away where I work. This is a kid in the 6th grade, an 11 or 12 year old? And his parents are the ones taking him to the same caches and allowing him to take them and then not making him drop them off later? Your issue is with his parents, not the kid himself. When you are with him, casually mentioning that he needs to release them right away, and he is nodding in agreement, he is doing so becasue you are an adult (I assume) and he is trying to please you. As soon as he leaves your presence, he is back in his 11 year old world and isn't thinking about what you told him when you were caching. Your words mean nothing to him becasue there is no consequernce for ignoring you. He's 11, most 11 year olds only think of themselves. My suggestion is that the next time you take this group of young people out, you tell him he can't come unless he brings whatever travel bugs he has in his possesion with him with the intention of releasing them and then doesn't go back to get them. Make sure his parents understand that is the condition of him coming with you. Do this every time you go out. Soon both he and his parents will get the picture and his parents will stop enabling his behavior. I expect this won't go on very long. He is only 11 after all. He'll soon get bored with the game and move on to the next best thing more than likely girls, that will keep him away from geocaching, and keep the trackables in your area safe for a long while... Quote Link to comment
+BruceS Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Moving to the Travel Bug section of the forums. Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 I say get him interested in another hobby, maybe one where you are supposed to collect something since that seems to be his focus. Plus it will remove bad feelings on both sides. Quote Link to comment
+Eartha Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 (edited) Please speak to his parents, if you can. Perhaps invite them to an event, and have someone speak about caching and trackables. Explain to his parents that he may not be understanding the purpose of them, and the importance of releasing them. Edited December 2, 2011 by Eartha typo Quote Link to comment
+ngrrfan Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 He is in 6th grade. I have repeatedly talked about geocaching with all the kids (we have a group of kids that enjoy going out together once in a while), and mentioned that "we all need to release the TBs and geocoins as soon as possible" as they should be gone or moving within 2 weeks MAX. Every time we take him with us I casually mention how important it is to release them as soon as possible. I also talk about how I release mine locally because there are so few, and I do it so that many people can enjoy them and get them moving elsewhere...he nods and agrees, but never seems to do it. Once he starts nodding.... that's when you say "Good..... Let's go get the ones you have so we can send them out." Do this each time you take him out and eventually, MAYBE, he'll get the idea. Also tell his parents what you have done, and that you will continue to do it as long as he hoards TBs. Quote Link to comment
+Team Pixos Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 My 11 year old six grader thinks tb and geocoin keepers are the scum of the earth to paraphrase what she said. She was enthralled today to find a coin in a cache not listing inventory that had last been logged over 3,000 km away three months ago. Her words were we have to find a special place to release it. Quote Link to comment
TheDoctorPH Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 some kids that age may just not be mature enough to understand why its wrong. I say some cause i know plenty that would be. seems like his parents need to have a talk with him and maybe get the trackables away from him and do the right thing with them. maybe find him a new hobby until hes older. Quote Link to comment
+WarNinjas Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 It sounds like he has emotional problems.....calling numerous times about travel bugs???? That is a little strange. I agree 100% Quote Link to comment
+Team Triggerfinger Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Here's the answer: Tell him to add them all to his watchlist and release them. He can now track them all as if they were his own trackable. Quote Link to comment
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