I know this is the wrong place for this but....

[Gordon]

You are who you are - you cannot deny it. Make peace with it even if your girls can't or won't. Your daughters love you even if they don't realize it now. Someday they will come around and embrace you for who you are. My prayers are with you.

[possum]

Man, this sucks.  My wife doesn't want dead animals on "her" walls.  I do have a few walls and I keep telling her tat WHEN I get a big one it IS going on the wall.  Fortunately, it has been many years since I started that and by the time I actually get one I'll have her worn down.   As long as I'm not running around on her she doesn't care that I hunt.  The last one did that.
10 and 13, huh?  Tough age for anyone, especially parents.  And I'm guessing from how you said they won't visit anymore that maybe they don't live with you?  If so, it's your personal space... the whole house.  But on the other hand I know you want to see them.  Take them to a game, shopping, movies or something.  If you make your time with them out of the house after a while a with prayer they will come around.  The mom is the problem.  Children that age get their ideas from parents and peers.  They are being bribed, I'm sure of it.  After a while she won't be able to afford them.  Their tastes will get more expensive.

Good luck,
possum

[rudderbows]

 10 and 13 year old girls make many a declaration of things they do not understand. What a perfect opportunity to teach them some good stuff about exceptance of other peoples value's and passions. I know this will pass and the girls will feel silly in time. They will grow.I know this stuff because I had twin gilrs about 24 years ago. They made so many declarations based on idealistic thinking and a childs mentality it wasnt funny. I found myself riding up and down the emotional waves with them untill i finally realized they kept changing. Now that they are 24 years old they are really smart about things and we enjoy each others company.

[Easternarcher]

10 and 13 year old girls make many a declaration of things they do not understand. What a perfect opportunity to teach them some good stuff about exceptance of other peoples value's and passions. I know this will pass and the girls will feel silly in time. They will grow.I know this stuff because I had twin gilrs about 24 years ago. They made so many declarations based on idealistic thinking and a childs mentality it wasnt funny. I found myself riding up and down the emotional waves with them untill i finally realized they kept changing. Now that they are 24 years old they are really smart about things and we enjoy each others company.

I have a hard time thinking I need to wait that long...it feels like I've lost the only family I will ever have....but I can't win this fight I know.,
I've heard it before that they'll eventually come back wondering why they felt that way to begin with...but it's a long wait for me.

Thanks Everyone!

[Juniper]

Just returned from a week long elk hunt in which a buddy of mine took a nice 6x6 bull.  His emotions were running high and he decided to take it to the local taxidermist, even though his wife is very against having mounts on the wall.  We joked about it a little and I could tell he was apprehensive about discussing it with her.  I haven't heard how the discussion went, but it got me thinking about the subject. 

Then I see this post and thought I could share how I have approached this subject with my significant other.  My partner and I have been together for almost 10 years and have lived together for six.  She does not come from a hunting background and had never lived with mounts on the wall or any of the other items hunters tend to collect.  I explained my belief that in any relationship each party has to support and encourage what is important to the other (as long as its legal).  I told her to imagine if she took up a hobby like painting or quilting and every time she tried to participate in that hobby, I gave her a hard time and told her it was stupid.  I also explained that I was not willing to change who I am, but I was willing to compromise.  Since those early days, I have relocated or taken down a few of my mounts, but not all of them.  We have recently started building a new home and to my complete surprise, she asked if our new house design would accommodate my mounts on the wall.  Pretty cool, I thought.  On the flip-side, she recently decided to take up golf.  I have tried to be as supportive of her golfing as she has been with my hunting/outdoor lifestyle.  I have tried to get her to take up archery and hunting, she has tried it and explained it is not "her thing".  I have to respect her honesty. 

The things we do in our life, define who we are, good or bad.  Explain yourself to your kids, show some willingness to compromise and show some support to them.  If that is not good enough, then you have done everything you can and the ball is in their court.  If they decide to stop visiting, then that is their decision.  I believe as your children mature, they will see that you were correct.

Thanks for listening to my rambling....Hope it all works out for the best. 

[gene roberts]

thats truely sad,i would probably try to make a comprmise with said family.dont quit being a hunter we are already getting scarce.but if the comprimise dont work try wooing said woman,goodbye