Take Your Kids Camping… Even if You Hate It!
When my husband first mentioned a family camping trip I looked at him like he was insane. Sure, we had been camping many times. But that was before we had kids and when we lived in the milder climates of Georgia and North Carolina. Now we had a baby and a toddler and we lived in Florida’s relentless heat. What sounds fun about getting a baby to sleep in a tent and sweating half the night? In a moment of weakness I finally gave in to his idea, and I am so glad I did. Here is why you need to take your kids camping, even if you hate the thought of it.
Everyone Can Relax and Unwind
Have you ever gone on vacation and returned more tired than when you left? Camping is one of the few vacations where you actually get to relax! Once your campsite is set up, there is no more work. And if you’ve meal prepped, all you have to do is warm up food over the fire. No chores, no schedules, no errands, no commitments. Camping does require a lot of preparation before you arrive. But once you’re there there’s nothing left to do but relax!
Your Kids Can Explore and Be Kids
At home our kids have so many responsibilities. Their schedules are full of school, sports, church, chores, family commitments, and homework. Most days kids don’t have much time to get outside and just be free. When you take your kids camping, you give them an entire weekend of unstructured time to play, explore and imagine. Not only is it great for their physical development, it also improves brain function, social interaction and emotional development. I absolutely love watching my kids discover nature as they explore the world around them. I am always amazed that they have so many questions about bugs, and their ideas of how to play with sticks never run out!
Parenting tip: At some point your kids will complain that they are bored. Fight the urge to entertain them! Just smile and encourage them to go explore, then sit back and watch as their brains start to discover and imagine.
It’s An Affordable Vacation
Camping is the perfect way to vacation on a budget. You can cover food and lodging for your entire family in under $50 a day, easily! And with such a low cost, it is a great opportunity to vacation with other families. If you decide to invest in camping equipment you will have some additional expenses up front, but you can always rent gear or borrow from a friend for free. Involve your kids in the trip planning and show them that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a great time!
You Can Truly Be Present
Be present. It’s such a common mantra, because we all know it’s an issue. It is so important to truly be present with the people around us. To have conversation, to listen, to look them in the eyes, and to enjoy some uninterrupted quality time. In the daily grind it becomes so difficult to do. We try to stop and listen, but it is way too easy to divide our attention between our people and our phones, televisions, chores, to-do lists, and jobs. Camping takes away all of those distractions and gives you the gift of togetherness.
There’s nothing like walking through the woods and letting your kids talk to you about what they are thinking. It’s a great time to hear about what’s on their heart, or to explain important things like what are tampons 😛
You Make Memories for Years to Come
If you want to have a successful camping trip, you have to expect something to go wrong. We have yet to take our kids camping and not have a story of being stuck in a storm, forgetting to pack something essential, getting lost, or having some crazy experience. And I am grateful for all of these mishaps, because they are the things we remember and still laugh about!
I will always remember the time we started setting up our tent only to realize that all the elastic in the tent poles had snapped because the last time we camped it rained and we put everything away wet. So, Brian headed off to the closest Wal-Mart (45 minutes away) with two of his friends, and brought back a massive tent that sleeps 12! It is definitely excessive, but also kind of amazing. Side note: never send men off unattended to buy things. This is what they will come back with.
Then there was the time I heard the couple in the tent next to us making some, shall we say, nocturnal noises? Believe it or not, I have had the pleasure of that experience more than once!!! And how could I forget the trip where Brian grabbed one of our air mattresses to float out and get close to the dolphins that were swimming just behind our campsite! Or the time we used rubber bands to explode a watermelon, or painted our faces with glow sticks, or chased our kids on dirt bikes… the list goes on!
Every time we camp we reminisce about all of our crazy experiences, and I know we will continue to laugh and talk about them around the campfire for years to come. And hopefully someday our kids will take their kids camping too!
