In "willie has gone to war," why does the speaker spend so much time in the glade?

When i was four years old, my dad and i a tree in our front yard. it was a tiny, fragile sapling. he promised me that it would grow tall and strong, but he said that i had to be patient. until i turned 18 years old, dad and i it every year on my birthday. choose the words that correctly fill in the blanks.

Respect for the environment means a: loving trees and animals b: not drinking out of streams c: making as little impact as possible on wilderness areas d: only using resources that are high in supply

What if the author had used “looked at” instead? punishment would be deemphasized. punishments would be seen as less harsh. the meaning wouldn't change.