How Camping With The Kids Shattered All My Beliefs

Yes! My husband and I went camping with the kids!

We believe that a  little struggle for kids is important in life. It polishes. It prepares. It helps foster gratitude. In a life that’s saturated with comforts and luxuries, my husband and I worry about the immense sense of entitlement that our kids are developing.

With similar like minded friends, we headed out this Dussera for a family camp.

Why Camping With The Kids?
Camping with kids aged 7 years and 3 years respectively was an extreme outdoor endeavor lurking on the brink of bringing us to our knees.  Camping  with kids meant more patience, more planning, more gear and more conflict! I wasn’t quite sure of this but my husband and friends convinced me otherwise.

We chose camping because for starters, it’s going back to simple basics. In a world that’s a snake pit of wires, cables, digital devices we needed something that was a wave of fresh air. A trip to the hills would help us and the kids get unplugged.
Minus networks, screens, air-conditioning, cozy mattress and even electricity, it made the kids appreciate what they have in life.

But the way my kids reacted, specially my 3 year old toddler, it shattered every belief I had about her not being able to endure the camp trip. Not only was she a wonderful camper but also an amazing trekker.

How We Planned Camping With The Kids

Since we aren’t into camping ourselves, we decided to take the wiser route and booked ourselves with  a well organized camping tour called ANALA OUTDOORS. With their innovative outdoor programmes, well coordinated efforts and years of successful camps organized pan India, we knew we were in good hands.  All we had to do was take things for our immediate personal use such as clothes, toiletries and necessities for kids.

The meals, the tents, the hike and the adventure games were all set up by them and their team of extremely experienced personnel and instructors.

With meals cooked like home cooked ones, wonderful company of friends and co-campers, perfect weather and serene surroundings, we discovered a new world.

The Top Benefits Of Taking A Trip Of Camping With The Kids

1. Family Bonding Time
   In the mayhem of daily life, sitting together, walking together, keeping jobs and tasks aside is difficult. Bonding with kids while camping was something that occurred naturally.
2. Bond With Nature
   My kids are anyways fond of nature. Camping took it to another level. Observing the plants along the trek, the beauty of the rocks, the wonder of the animals scampering by, the sunset and so much more; these were the sights and sounds that the camp exposed us to.
3. Learning To Learn From Those Around You
   Since we were a group of friends camping together, there was so much to learn from each other. Camping was collaborative work and a lot of it was team effort. Collecting wood for campfire, walking in harmony with others, adventure sports, taking turns to take a bath, walking out in the cold,  following instructions from the instructors; the kids learnt so much about independence and life skills.
4. Learning To Live On The Other Side
   It was a great learning experience for the kids. While they had all the basic necessities on the camp-site that were in sync with modern lifestyle, not having a television, an air conditioner, a refrigerator full of goodies and things on call, these were a few things the kids were learning to cope with. Not only did they cope well, but it also showed us as parents that our children adapted beautifully. The barriers are usually, in our minds.
5. No Screens!
   This was the greatest benefit of the camp. Never have I seen my kids enjoying themselves so much or being so creative with what basic resources they had on hand.Here are a few memoirs from our trip.

Family camping is, undeniably, worth the extra effort.

The good news is the return on your investment is priceless. The memories forged over hissing campfires and molten marshmallows and stories whispered in tents will last your kids a lifetime.