i climbed with my dad from the time i was old enough to totter up the trail until i went to college. all easy alpine stuff. he didn't have the stomach to watch me climb anything particularly difficult. i still cherish those moments as some of the best in my life. nothing like standing on a summit w/dad to his credit, i enjoyed climbing with him but we didn't do it so much that it interferred with me having a healthy dose of other kid activities and friends. when i became competitive in another sport at age 10, he even learned that and competed as an amateur dad.
my son climbs alot of easy alpine routes with me. he's turning into an enjoyable partner. i try to pick things that will challenge him in some way but never scare him. when he gets tired and cranky i go for a blend of humor and bribery. he's climbed all the peaks near alpental. most recently we had a nice scramble up the class 3 route on red moutain. he has climbed many peaks in the olympics. even a long 15 mile day when he was only 5. i've let him hike up to the muir hut w/me and had to gently tell him that i wouldn't let him climb rainier yet. climbing with him has been such a great experience. it's given him so much confidence and me so much respect for what he can do all by himself.
when it comes to roping up, that's always his call. some days he doesn't feel like it, some days he does. i always bring shoes and a harness. if he doesn't want to climb he can play in the dirt.
climb with your kids!