Camping is Great Family Fun

Camping has always been a family favorite for fun and get together especially the younger members of the family. Times have changed with tweens and  teens who do not like camping much. Why? Probably because  there are no iPods, cell phone signals and internet signals in the bush and sometimes they even lose their text messaging. That's really horrible when you can't MSM your buddies!  Many camps are not like this, you need to roughen up a bit to enjoy Mother Nature.

Summer camping gives the family a great opportunity to bond with the kids and have great fun. My buddies tell me teenagers will go for it if you choose the right camp carefully and make sure they have internet and cell connections. Then why go camping? Sure it does not mean that the kids will spend the day hooked up to their iPods or laptops the whole day. Teenage kids should take a break from the internet, messaging and the like over a family weekend. There's so much to talk about amongst families and have fun playing around...it can be a real blast with the darn internet!

It is important that your kids know the communication rules so you do not have any upset later. "But Mom, I must try and get a message through to Billy!" The idea of the trip is to share with each other outdoor activities and not to off somewhere else to phone or use the computer. Times for this must be set and respected If they are not the trip will end up in failure with no smiles or fun and "I don't want to go camping again."  Family activities should be agreed by all family member including the three year old.

The children will not have fun if they are forced to do something they don't want so get democratic about it with everyone involved in the planning and preparing of meals, everyone should also have chores to do, collect wood or wash the dishes. Get the family together for at least one hour at night around the campfire and talk to your children, listen to them talk about their friends or what they do or want to do. It may seem silly to you or worthless as an adult, but their worries and problems are very real to them and need solutions to ease their minds.

Forget about school and all the problems you have at home during those few days of camping. Concentrate on sharing as much time as possible with your wife or husband and children. Make it a point to have individual activities with each one alone too. This will help you get closer and learn more about each other in a one-to-one conversation away from home pressures.

Talking and having family fun with teenagers is not easy. Teens can be moody, not willing to talk and even disruptive of family life. So you have to have patience and you must have a canny instinct to know and feel when it is time to approach them and when not.

Taking them out of their environment for a couple of days is good because they will be relieved of their school pressures and stress--much the same way you will be relieved of these. It will be easier for both of you to talk about irrelevant things which may not be irrelevant to them. Be patient and follow your instincts, be a good listener--this can be a great bonding experience that will stay with them forever.

A family camping trip is always a way to bring the family closer and to enjoy Mother Nature together with all the fun stuff that comes with it. Take advantage of time spent together and get to know your children better.