Get out of Dallas!

Last spring, my family embarked on a camping trip. With our 22-month-old. Who was potty training. And we took 6 other families with us. And they all had at last one child, some three. And it was SO fun.

Now, to be fair, I did camp a lot as a child. I did the Girl Scout thing, I went to “sleepaway” camp every summer, and worked at camp for many years. So camping for me is not a huge stretch. I feel this is important because if you are going to be brave and haul your kid(s) to the wilderness, a little bit of background knowledge will go a long way.

We all had a lot of fun. And we learned a lot, which is a polite way of saying I’d do some things differently next time. And there’s going to be a next time! We are headed out this spring with our kids to meet some family for a fun weekend in the woods.

As with 90% of mothering tasks, prepwork is key.  Even picking the site matters… trails and playgrounds? yes. Camping next to a lake or road with toddlers in tow? no. We also should have pitched the tent in the backyard and played in it, maybe even tried a nap or two. Books about camping out or even browsing internet pics would have helped. My husband & I realized “unspoken camping rules” are not everyday knowledge to a Dallas toddler. Things like popping into stranger’s tents while they are sleeping are generally frowned on.

We drove to Meridian State Park during an afternoon so we could arrive during daylight. That allowed Jack & the gang to scope things out and not be in a completely new experience at night. Also we got our tent up and campsite put together before dark. We discussed crickets, bugs, and shadows. Those were all new and spooky to our city dweller. Other things that helped us: we do a lot of grilling at home so things like fire/stove safety were pretty established but give good boundaries to kids on that for sure. We also did almost all our meal prep at home. That enabled us Moms to chase grimy toddlers and not have to chop onions or the like. That was a huge help. My friends packed a lot of no-cook options, so if a hungry kid needed a snack, we wouldn’t have to haul everything out or cook. Bring a backpack carrier or something so you can hike distances. Take a wagon or something to get to the potty/shower house if it isn’t close. Our group laughed at our friends that brought their wagon, but later we discovered that it was genius.

We were surprised by chilly nights and needed more blankets. I won’t lie… if the weather would have been any cooler or if it rained, we probably would have packed up and called it off. As far as sleeping, the little guys did better with pack ‘n plays than without. Convince Dad to throw in an air mattress for you. As the saying goes, if Mama ain’t happy…

My favorite memories from camping last year were the everyday things we just let go of. Cell phones and iPads were left unused. Our group let the kids all stay up til it was good and dark for s’mores and glow stick play. The little troupe of two year old boys ran around so much that it took days to get all the dirt off Jack. I tossed the schedule out the window and didn’t look at clocks. We also enjoyed our kids just being kids outside- a few toys, a few friends, but mostly sticks and rocks and just playing. It was refreshing and centering to our family. There’s just something magical about being outside and unplugged.

Have you been camping with your family? I’ve found it to be a cheap, close way to experience the outdoors and a lot of other new adventures. Are you brave enough to try it even in the yard overnight? We are looking for a spot within 3 hours driving distance from here for our spring trip- please comment if you have suggestions. Go out and play!!