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by Margaret Berns in Family on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 5:59 AM
In theory, it seems ridiculous. Why would we choose to sleep outside? In a tent, on the cold, hard ground? As humorist Dave Barry puts it, “Camping is nature’s way of promoting the motel industry.”
Obviously, I disagree.
My friends and I have been dragging our families into the woods for several years now. In certain circles, this is known as “group camping; in others, it’s called insanity. We bring babies, toddlers and unwilling husbands. (The former, I am happy to report, are almost always on board by the end of the weekend. This has to do, I believe, with quality “guy” time.)
Why, you wonder, do we go to the trouble? Why go this route of “roughing” it?
I’ll tell you why: because we’re cheap. But also because it’s lots of fun.
What it lacks in AC it makes up for in rustic simplicity.
Why Camp?
Unlike our houses, which are fairly static in location, we have tremendous flexibility in how and where we camp. We can camp by ourselves, or with a group of four to five other families from church. This is how we usually camp. Our group will either reserve a row of 5 campsites right next to each other in the main campground, or reserve one of the group campsites that many of our campgrounds have. These sites typically are entirely separate from other groups, and give us some privacy and flexibility in how and where we set up.
Quality Time with Family & Friends
Call me crazy, but I am always more than happy to trade my lengthy domestic to-do list for a weekend away. I love that aspect of going camping. Once you’ve set up the tent and unpacked your dishes, there’s really nothing you have to do.
Slather on sunscreen. Spray on bug dope. Hang out.
How I Do It (P.S. This stuff is really good.)
There’s no real agenda when we go camping, which I love.The chores are gone.The housework is on hold. The computer and email are left behind. Maybe we’ll spend the afternoon at the beach; maybe we’ll go for a two-hour bike ride; maybe we’ll do nothing at all. Sometimes, if you have hyper-competitive kids like mines, you’ll watch them challenge the dads in a game of all-or-nothing volleyball … and lose, because those hyper-competitive kids came from a hyper-competitive dad who taunts them to send a postcard when they finally catch up to that spike he just hit past them.
Seriously, though? The kids love the freedom they have when camping. They get to play with their friends, be loud, explore the woods, and play outside games All Day Long. They love eating outdoors, and (no surprises here) they love the stories and s’mores after dark at the campfire.
Living Life al Fresco
Meals and cleanup are super easy when we go camping. Why? Because we make a lot of the meals ahead of time, and we make the older kids do the dishes.
We try to keep the meals simple — sloppy joes, beefy beans, hamburgers on the grill. My favorite take-along dish is chili — make it ahead and toss a container of sour cream & some cheese into the cooler. Yum.
Romance by Propane
There is nothing so fine as eating al fresco — the occasional spider notwithstanding. We have even been so bold, my beloved and I, as to tell the children to go play while the two of us enjoy a quiet meal. They usually comply, but when necessary our friend Joel acts as bouncer. (Having several kids of his own, he’s got a knack for it.)
Mass on Saturday
I have to say that one of my favorite things about group camping is attending the vigil Mass at a local country church. We quadruple their numbers when we show up! Plus I’m just a sucker for these beautiful old churches — the ones with stained-glass windows etched in German and an average of three statues per parishioner.
My mother always told me that there are special graces to be had when you visit a new parish. I am quick to claim these graces, and pray that God excuses my poofy, high humidity hair & wrinkled apparel. (I turn into Roseanne Roseannadanna when I camp. I accept this as one of the trade-offs.)
Stars and Sunsets, S’mores and Stories
I read somewhere that even five minutes of fresh air can improve your outlook. Imagine the good that a whole weekend can do! Honestly, I do not go camping to get a perfect night’s sleep. You know that, right? I do go to see things that I can’t see at home —an entire skyful of stars, for example, and heart-stoppingly gorgeous sunsets on the lake.
Why I Do It
Nature is different when you’re not in the suburbs. It just is, and your children will love you for taking them to see it.
Our night in the woods always ends with a campfire. The kids roast s’mores and/or make pudgie pies. They tell scary stories and corny jokes, and then, as it gets late and the smaller, then larger, kids trundle off to bed, the adults enjoy the time to talk, laugh and/or play cards in a screen tent.
(You see? We’re all about options when we go camping.)
All in all it’s a great way for us to connect — connect with our families, connect with our friends, and connect with nature. We return home, a little tired, a little dirty, and also terribly, wonderfully refreshed.
—Margaret Berns lives (and tent camps) in St. Paul, MN, where she and her family embrace the dirt and occasional bug bite. She blogs at Minnesota Mom..
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Margaret,
I’m curious how old were your kids when you started camping? We’d love to go camping; but right now it seems overwhelming with children who are 4, 2, and 1. You mention that your older kids do the dishes, etc. Did you wait and start camping when you had older kids who were old enough to help in camp or have you always camped and just grown into this easier camping style as they’ve grown into the responsibilities?
Okay, granted, Melanie, we’ve got a couple of seasoned Boy Scouts in our family. You called me out! Even so, my husband has to push them to assume responsibility. Go figure! They’d rather be playing in the woods than doing the breakfast dishes.
Camping with littles *IS* different. They will love you for it, trust me, (I know your crew!) but you’ll need to be prepared to do most of the work.
For now. 
Oh, and to answer your question, (because I didn’t—technically—with my last comment), yes, we’ve always been a camping family. It really helps to find a couple of like-minded families, though! Many hands make light work.
We know our crew would love it! I’m just not sure about my ability to hack it. Poor pregnant tired me! Alas, we don’t know any other families who could share the burden. We’ve only been in this town for a year and a half.
Still, one of our projects for this summer, still unaccomplished, is to clean out the shed and find the tent. We figured we’d start in the backyard and then maybe if that works we could try the state park that’s about twenty minutes from the house. But that tent is really and truly buried and it’s at least a full day’s work to get it out.
Melanie -
We’ve only got two children (so far, I hope), but they’ve gone since they were infants - my son was under 3 mos. on our first trip and our second was probably 6 mos. when she went. They’ve grown with it and love it!
It helps if you are well-organized for the trip and some idea of how to set things! Oh, and having the weather cooperate is a big, big plus!
Ah, well, being PREGNANT. That’s another story!
My husband took me to the Boundary Waters the first year we were married. (This is one of those “destination by canoe only” vacations.) I had a great time.
Consequently, he took me back the following summer, only this time I was seven months pregnant. Um…can you say get me a glass of cold milk RIGHT NOW? And how about a salad with fresh tomatoes & mozzarella cheese? All I could think about were my CRAVINGS.
So yes, we must keep in mind our station in life…and adjust accordingly.
You’ll have to tell me where to find one of those camping-minded families (besides Minnesota, that is). We used to camp BC (before children). Other than through Scouts, we have not done it since. Can I say I’m too old? I didn’t think so. I’m certainly out of practice. Maybe some day you’ll publish an article with long lists (or maybe short lists are better) of things you need to get by. I’m not certain we could fit the family in the van after I packed for a camping weekend. 
Detachment is a Christian virtue, Barbara! I find that I have LOTS to learn in that area.
My husband came from a camping family. I did not. We tried camping once in a tent with a toddler and nursing baby and I said NEVER AGAIN!! (We enjoyed camping before children though) So, spoiled me, we got a camper. I need my clean toilet and a shower at least once. Other than that though, we LOVE camping. Now I have no problem taking our 6 kids out into the wilderness. We even ventured from our home in WI out to Yellowstone earlier this summer and had a blast! Everyone should try it at least once. It is something the kids will remember and cherish forever. THanks for the fun article!!
I don’t think that “camper” camping is cheating, Angie! Whatever gets your family outdoors is great, in my opinion.
(Though most campgrounds *do* come equipped with showers and toilets, at least here in Minnesota. )
In the backwoods or the back yard…our children are happiest living outside in tents. The youngest we have taken a child camping is 3 months old. As long as the baby is comfortable & fed, we have found little ones to be pretty docile campers.
I enjoyed camping as a young adult. Think inaccessible except on foot or by canoe. Love it. Dh doesn’t do anything without hot water and flush toilets. Honestly, I’d never take my current family tent camping. 9 kids, 2 in diapers, 4 non-swimmers (or non-reliable swimmers), 2 prone to wandering off…you get the picture. RV camping is as close as we have, or will ever get to ‘roughing it’.:D Admittedly, I have been known to get whiny that vacation is never a vacation for the mom, just the same amount or more work in a different location.
—-Admittedly, I have been known to get whiny that vacation is never a vacation for the mom, just the same amount or more work in a different location.
A different location, yes, but one with far fewer rooms to clean!
I think that we moms tend to make work for ourselves no matter where we are. It’s in our blood! That’s why I like—why I NEED to get away sometimes. Otherwise, I make every excuse to stay inside and clean clean clean.
Not to worry! The jobs will be there when I get back.
My parents took me camping when I was quite young and still an only child. (I vaguely recall walking into a cactus while camping in Big Bend.) Then we didn’t go again until I was 12. For that trip, and many others, my mom stayed at home and had a real vacation while my dad took the four of us kids to Colorado for a couple of weeks. I spent most of that trip “being mom.” I changed diapers (our youngest was 2 at the time), read maps and navigated for my dad, fixed sandwiches, passed out drinks from the cooler, entertained the littles, helped set up tents, helped cook and do dishes. Of course at 12 that seemed a part of the grand adventure.
In an article in Faith and Family, I will always remember Mary Ellen Barrett saying, “Moms don’t have vacations. They create memories for the families.”
A noble endeavor, that.
And I quote it frequently to my momfriends.
And what’s a pudgie pie?
You would never catch me arguing with Mary Ellen! She’s too wise.
A pudgie pie is wicked good. You may or may not want to know how to make them. (And there’s your warning.) You put a dollop of pie filling on a piece of (preferably white) bread and cover it with another piece of bread. Butter the outside of the bread (preferably with lots of butter) and put it in a pudgie pie holder—which you can get in the camping section of most stores—and roast ‘til toasty.
Yum, yum and again, yum.
A few weeks ago we were camping with our four - 5, 3, 2 and 5 months and it took planning, but was fantastic. Most of our dishes were disposable, so cleanup was simplified. Babies are easier than toddlers, although our baby was so inspired by the gravel at the edge of his mat that he started scooting. We go to bed at the same time as the kids cause they quiet down better then. Mine still need some help being entertained, so they learned how to make rubbings of leaves and inspected a worm with magnifying glasses while hubby or I read. But nothing else we’ve ever done fits our budget and slows us down enough to sing songs, tell stories, and play games without watching a clock.
We used to belong to a prayer group that camped together one weekend every summer. Our diocese actually owns a campground. It was once where the orphanages brought the kids for summer. There were rustic cabins for most and a rustic house—All moms with babies stayed there. Easier to control the bugs etc.
I miss it. We had no real vacation this year since losing Jeff’s Dad.
Maybe next year.
We were supposed to go a few weeks ago, but I was terribly sick. Maybe next month…and maybe next month, the ground might actually be “cold” in addition to “hard”. Right now, it’s not at all cold, and it’s usually wet…somehow I think camping in MN is very different than camping in GA. Seriously, Margaret, you’re wearing a WHITE longish sleeve knit SWEATER in that picture…
“Seriously, Margaret, you’re wearing a WHITE longish sleeve knit SWEATER in that picture… “
I was thinking the same thing, Michelle. And bracelets!
Alright, so perhaps “Fashion Camping” would have been a better title.
In my DEFENSE, we had just returned from the vigil Mass and were enjoying our “romantic” dinner. Now leave me alone, you two.
Katie at Kitchen Stewardship (who has guest blogged here a time or two I think) wrote a fantastic ebook on camping! You can read about it here - I think it’s well worth the money for nervous nellies like me that want to have everything they need but discover that if you pack it, you also must unpack it after returning (and likely clean it whether it was used or not)! Great info for beginners, and even some good stuff for more experienced campers, including how to entertain the big and little kids. Check it out!
We have been a Minnesota tent camping family since our oldest of 4 was a few months old. We took our 3rd camping when she was 2 weeks old. Our kids loved to camp and over a span of 8 years we took them to every state park in Minnesota, visiting many of them several times. We have outgrown 2 and worn out 3 tents in our 27 years of camping. This year as empty-nesters we bought the biggest tent we could. (We need to plan for grand kids going camping with us and a big inflatable mattress!! Through the years we worked out a system for setting up camp and found a KISS list (Keep It Simple Sweetheart) which helped us not forget the things that were truly important when camping with kids. (A very important thing after the year we forgot sweatshirts and had to borrow from friendly neighbors.) In the beginning we did all the work with the kids sitting it out in the car while we set up in the rain or the bugs. Or we would have them putter around the campsite until the ‘chores’ were done. As they grew they had jobs like helping to get the water and helping to set up sleeping pads and bags inside the tent. The kids knew the sooner things were set up the sooner we could go exploring. I am nearly 50 and still think camping is THE BEST vacation.
You wrote exactly how I feel about camping. It is a LOT of work for us, slightly lessened by the fact that we have a cmaper so I only need to pack clothes and food, but my boys are 1, 2, 4, 5 and 9 so they aren’t a lot of help. They ARE learning a lot and making wonderful memories. I have tons of camping memories from my childhood and I am determined to pass them along (unenthused husband and all)! Thank you for speaking my mind for me!
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