» Ben Fogle on why the great outdoors is important when it comes to parenting his kids
GABRIELLE FAGAN catches up with TV presenter Ben Fogle to discover why the great outdoors is more important than school, when it comes to parenting his kids
TV PRESENTER Ben Fogle travels the world for his adventures and physical challenges, but when he gets home, he’s not looking for a bit of peace and quiet. Instead, he wants his children to go wild.
“I know the virtues of travel, the outdoors and animals,” says the TV presenter of Channel 5’s series New Lives In The Wild, who has two children, Ludo, 10, and Iona, eight, with his wife Marina.
“Adventure is what has made me and I want them to love it, and the wilderness too. I don’t want them to see it as a dangerous, frightening place,” says the 45-year-old who’s determined to pass on the skills for coping in a natural, outdoor environment to the youngsters.
“For me, the most important place to learn is not the classroom, but the outdoors and nature. If they’re open to life, new experiences, new people and happy
in the world, and have a spirit of adventure, that to me is more important than academic achievements,” explains Ben.
“We’ve been teaching them basic bush craft skills – like foraging for food, making a fire and how to put it out safely – since they were young. They’ve had whittling knives for working with wood for a long time. Of course, they get cuts and bruises, get stung by bees, or whatever but that’s all about experiencing and learning.”
Ben, who found fame in 2000 living on the uninhabited Outer Hebridean island of Taransay, for the BBC reality show Castaway, has gone on to conquer an impressive list of challenges, including reaching the summit of Everest, trekking the Sahara, crossing the Antarctic, and rowing across the Atlantic.
“I’ve learnt so much from the things I’ve done and want the children to learn about life and how to live it,” he enthuses.
What sort of father are you?
I LIKE to think I’m as good a dad as I can be. I’m hands-on, quite fun, and never lose my temper. It’s acknowledged there’s an increase in ‘helicopter’ parenting these days, with people hovering over their children and almost trying to control them and wrap them in cotton wool.
I don’t believe in that. We need to loosen our grip, let them grow, adapt and learn. I encourage our
Both Marina and I want them to be exposed to life and live it to the full. I can’t wait to go on a big adventure with them... maybe the North Pole.
kids to get outdoors, get muddy, wet, eat yucky food, and mess around.
What sort of childhood are you giving them?
ONE with lots of fun and adventure, which is what I enjoyed growing up. One of my best recent memories was seeing the children taking part in The Little Welly in Oxfordshire [a massive obstacle course] where they got covered from head to toe in mud, and so did we!
We’re lucky enough to travel a lot around the world – we’ve taken them to Africa, the Middle East and Caribbean. Nothing gives me more pleasure than introducing them to new places, people or animals, seeing things through their eyes.
Both Marina and I want them to be exposed to life and live it to the full. I can’t wait to go on a big adventure with them, maybe the North Pole.
At the moment, they absolutely love doing everything we do – if we go on a long walk they’re up for it, and they have no qualms about diving into cold water, because we’re doing it and we’re their inspiration. They just accept that’s what they do – that may of course change when they’re teenagers!
Do you let them use social media?
THEY can use the ipad, but we don’t make it readily available. They have to ask for it. I don’t see children get anything from social media apart from anxiety, jealousy and FOMO.
My daughter told me off the other day for being on my phone. That made me feel very guilty, so I know it can’t be just ‘do as I say’ and I have to lead by example. I try to ensure I’m not on the phone or texting when they’re around.
We’ll eventually give them each a phone, but it will only have a phone and text facility. For peace of mind, I’d like to know they can get in touch with us.
How do you cope with being away from the children while working?
THE excitement and anticipation of being reunited with them again keeps me going during the long absences. I think about them all the time and I took their favourite cuddly toys with me when I climbed Everest in May 2018.
I’ve realised it can be hard for Marina when I return from a trip, because I want to have fun with the kids and entertain them, but she’s the one who’s had weeks making sure they do the right things and have a routine.
We make sure she instigates fun things as well as me when I’m around, so there’s a balance in the parenting.
What about the risks of going to far-flung, exotic places with the children?
I WOULDN’T ever let them take unnecessary risk or expose them to illness. As a parent, I take more care of them than I do of myself.
This summer, the children and Marina are joining me in Equador, South America, and after that, we’ll spend the rest of summer in America. Before we go away, I’m definitely taking the children to the doctor to make sure they’re up to date with vaccinations.
It’s incredibly important to check what the risks are and make sure you’re up to date with vaccinations, and armed with the facts and relevant medication.