My kids love to listen to stories about when my sisters & I were kids and all of the escapades we got in to. Well about a month ago I told them all about the first time we went camping. It was a slightly less than stellar experience with us being afraid to use the pit toilet and myself being "attacked by a bear" that turned out to be a lady wearing a huge fuzzy bathrobe. The kids loved it and laughed for hours, and are still relaying bits of it back and forth so I'd thought they enjoyed it. Well my husband has been planning to take us all camping later this month and we finally decided to tell the kids about it. They both FREAKED OUT. They don't want to go camping. Even pointing out that we'd be going to a campground with flush toilets and a swimming pool rather than a state park without facilities isn't helping. They absolutely do not want to go. This afternoon they came to me as a unified front, saying they'd thought it over and have decided that since neither of them want to go camping maybe we could stay around home and do some fun local things instead. We've got memberships to the local zoo, science museum & historical society so there are actually TONS of things we could do... that's not the problem. And I am so proud of them for having come up with a solution on their own. But... we had really wanted to take them camping. Y'know, AWAY from all things electronic??? What would y'all do? I am torn right now between siding with the kids and insisting that we go. I KNOW that once we got to the campground the kids would enjoy themselves, but... argh! love, mom
Well, I would compromise. I would take them do to some fun things that they were looking foward to, but sit them down and explain that camping is your fun thing to do, as well. Maybe they'll end up loving it. Ask them to just give it a chance, that it could be a whole new experoence for them. If they find it miserable, they still are getting to do some fun things of their own as well. Everyone is happy.
^^ I don't get it either. Why not "camp" out in your backyard at night? And then do the fun things the kids want to do during the day?
lol... yes Freeinalaska, I do camp where there is running water and facilities. I have a few medical issues that make normal camping extremely difficult & painful. I also require air mattresses so (sigh) I will never see the Boundary Waters the way I'd dreamed of. Yeah, I feel like I'm carting the kitchen sink along with me when I go. But it's that or never be able to go at all. Camping in our backyard is not terribly possible. My neighbors are scary and I would rather trust my life to a bear than to any number of them. BUT my parents live out in the country a bit... maybe we could pitch our tent in their apple orchard! Thanks Mamaboogie... that's an awesome idea! love, mom
PLenty of people go camping with flush toilets. I wouldn't enjoy myself at all with 2 kids under the age of 2 in cloth diapers with no running water available at least somewhere semi-close. I don't think that is a good reason to be snobby.
I didn't mean to sound snobby. I guess I just come from a different world. All of my kids were potty trained with an outhouse and a honey bucket. Roughing it is part of our life so I sometimes forget that pooping into a hole can be a tramatic thing for folks. I think your idea about camping in the orchard at your parents is a great idea. Too teach ones kids to feel at home in nature is a good thing.
It's okay, I agree it sounds funny. After that first camping trip (when I was 5) we learned to love camping and grew up spending our summers in State & National forests around the country. After going over this for a couple days, my husband & I have decided to split the week up. For the first half of the week, we are going camping. No debating, it's happening. BUT for the second half of the trip we will return home to have some fun locally. That way the kids' wishes are respected, but so are ours... since DH & I really wanted to go camping The kids are slightly less than happy about it, but they agree that it seems fair too... 3 days for mama & daddy, and 3 days for the lil man and princess. And they've promised to TRY to enjoy themselves so they're at least willing to go into it with a somewhat open mind. love, mom
ahhhhh mama,,, one never knows what will transpire once you actually get the lil darlins out n about camping,,,, the preconceived notions that they are trekking around with them now may very well change after the first day or two out there,,,, and they may actually want to stay once they start figgerin the whole campin thang out....
tell them they can wear the robes and be the "scary bear." you , of course have to act afraid. dad, too.
