This month my family and I went camping at the Sandy Pines campground in Maine, USA. This trip was an excellent way for the family to re-connect with each other through a shared experience. As a parent, my daily life mainly consists of going to work and doing chores. However, sharing the same tent on a family camping trip changed the dynamic and strengthened family bonds. This trip taught me a few things.
Here are four things I learned camping with my family:
- QUALITY TIME TOGETHER IS NECESSARY
Even though we were in a pandemic lockdown, most of my and my wife’s time was spent watching the news and working from home. This camping trip was the first time we had an excuse to get away from work, school, and technology to focus on family. We had to turn to each other for entertainment. Statistics show that kids like to camp because they see their parents relaxing. Playing on a physical campground will help the effects of the daily grind fade away.
2. PASSING DOWN OUTDOOR KNOWLEDGE
As a father, you have tons of knowledge to pass down to your kids. A camping trip is a great place to teach your kids life skills. Pitching a tent together, starting a campfire, and cooking outdoors are valuable lessons that you never know when your kids will need. For kids, time spent camping is time spent learning, which is one of the reasons scouting programs are so valuable. They facilitate camping experiences built around kids learning new things, including fishing, cooking, hiking, tying knots, fire-starting, safety, first aid, and much more. Fun things like assembling s’mores can become family traditions to look forward to during every trip.
3. UNPLUGGING IS NECESSARY
In this day and age, screens are everywhere. You and your whole family are constantly looking at screens. Camping in the great outdoors is an excellent chance to unplug and getaway. This is an opportunity to turn off phones, computers, tablets, or televisions and find activities that do not require electronics. I found myself biking with my kids and just observing nature; this was the first time in a long time we got to look at something that was not on the television.
4. FAMILY ISOLATION CAN BE REFRESHING
Camping can provide family isolation that your daily life often cannot. Family isolation can be a beautifully refreshing part of camping. I sometimes find even coming out of quarantine that my everyday life can get crowded. This camping trip allowed focusing on us, the family. I connected with the wife I have not done in a while and engaged with the children, which I do not get to do normally.
So whether you go deep into the woods or in your backyard, camping is activity is an excellent way to connect and recharge with your family. Your family looks to you to help guide them. Relax because you are doing great.
