Beyond Know How

Our family has been taking camping trips since our kids were in diapers.  I was talking with a neighbor the other day who was going on his first family camping trip.  He has seen us packup the tents, sleeping bags and cooking gear many times and asked for a few tips on how to make the trip enjoyable for the kids.  Probably one of the most over looked this that parent do is not thinking of their kids comfort in the tent at night.  Oh sure adults will almost always have nice pads or cots to sleep on but the expect the kids to put their sleeping bags on the hard ground.   You can drastically improve their camping experience by getting a small adjustable air matteress for them to sleep on.  The kind the kids would use to float on at the pool or lake is better than nothing.  This will allow them to get a good nights sleep and be ready to tackle each day’s activities with a much better attitude.  So when you plan your family outing make sure that you consider the kids comfort as well as your own.

I don’t know where everyone else lives, but in my area we have been having tons of thunderstorms this year.  These storms have created multiple power outages that last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.  Usually the first thing I hear after the power goes out is all my kids complaining and whining about how they cant get on the Internet, their tv’s dont work or I’m so bored what do we do now.  If you are about my age you probably had family nights where you spent hours playing board games and enjoying each others company.  Many kids today are so used to having electronic things to keep them entertained they  have never played a game of sorry, clue or monopoly and just don’t realize how much fun it can be.  I our house we have taken the opportunity to have some serious family fun playing board games by candle light to pass the time while the power is out.  Now that my kids have had several of these family game nights they are even asking to play games when the lights are on.  Look at these brief interruptions of electricity as a blessing as your kids will grow up so fast.

photo credit: astrogrl

Each year I hear how my kids have struggled coming up with ideas for things to do for me on Father’s day.  This year I took the initiative and told them what I wanted.  I want to take the day and go fishing with my family.   I usually make my trips to the local pond by myself as most of my kids really don’t care to spend time waiting for a bass or bluegill to take the bait.  I figured this year I’ll spend the time with them on Father’s day not fishing but rather teaching these bass fishing beginners the finer points of casting, lure presentation and other techniques that will hopefully make it more enjoyable for them to join me on a regular basis on my fishing trips.  There is nothing more discouraging that taking a kids fishing and not catching a thing so if your kids are up for the challenge teach them what it takes to become better fishermen.  Happy Fathers Day all.