Camping with the Family

We just got back from our (18th!!!) annual camping trip with good friends.  We had a great time swimming, wakeboarding, visiting, enjoying the campfire and just plain spending time together.

Our children are now 3 and 10 months, so they had fun playing with the other kids there.  It is fantastic to see the next generation of good friends getting to know each other and playing together.

We made tie-dye shirts and the guys fixed a great breakfast this morning as the ladies went on their walk.  We had over 2 pounds of bacon, eggs,  grilled potatoes & onions, pineapple, grapes, yougurt, blueberries, fruit salad, etc.  An excellent brunch was had by all.

I always enjoy looking at the night sky when you are miles from civilization.  The amount and clarity of the stars is unbelievable.  Shooting stars are a common site, as are satellites.  Our son really liked the sky as well. 

Another great thing about spending 2 days together camping is that you forget (even if only for a moment) about the current news, the stresses of life and your daily responsibilities.  You rarely know what time it is, or what the temperature is outside.  You just know it’s a beautiful day and you are having a good time.

I hope you spend a lot of time creating memories with your children.  It’s those memories that I remember as a kid that I want to re-create for my own family, and pass on the legacy of family togetherness.  Being in the moment is the key.  We didn’t have our laptops, didn’t take calls on our cell phones, the kids weren’t spending every minute texting someone (something that I DO NOT care for and will NOT allow my children to do), No, we were all having fun together and the outside world didn’t exist for a couple of days.

I think more families need to spend time together, just visiting and discussing life.  If you do this from an early age, you won’t run out of things to talk about when your children grow older.  The detached teenager is often the product of detached and self-absorbed parents.  If you are going to have children, my opinion is that you should take an interest in them, and make them your priority.

I am still very close to my own parents to this day, and they just celebrated their 44th anniversary recently.  We still get together regularly, and they are not only involved in my childrens lives, I personally enjoy talking with them and doing things together as well.

I remember camping with the family as a kid, and I think it’s a great family bonding activity.  I hope that you get to experience that too.