Almost all of us who camp are just kids who camped and still do. That means all of the experiences around camping that facilitate our camping stories began happening at some finite historical point, albeit one that now lies far back in the mists of time. That’s part of what makes the introduction of camping for kids such a delicate balance.
It’s the instinct of any adult who’s camped much to scoff at any youngster’s carefully-managed introduction to the outdoors, but it’s critical to remember the experience is setting the bar for each camper in many areas.
Veteran campers can always talk about the roughest trips they ever had. It’s easy to remember the coldest and the wettest campsites. The longest and most difficult hikes stand out. Our memories of camping are preserved in the salt of their difficulties.
By definition, though, a camper’s first campout includes his most extreme experience of everything. It’ll likely be the farthest he’s ever hiked, even if it’s less than a mile. It’ll be the coldest he’s ever slept, even if the night air doesn’t fall below 60 degrees.
The very adults who facilitated this level of ease also stand first in line to scoff, but it’s critical that we do not.
We try to make first campouts easy so there will be second, third and fourth campouts. Inevitably, there will be some encounters with conditions that are notable down the road. Meanwhile, let the little guys enjoy any extremes they have already set.
What you’re really establishing is a common ground that will come in handy through the kids’ teenage years to come. If you’ve shared some experiences in the woods together, every conversation has a place to start.
If you want to make sure your kid dismisses your input later, just scoff at their stories of the experiences they are compiling now.
Adults who talk down to kids are obnoxious, and the kids know it. They might not be able to isolate and define that feeling, but they feel it and they know it, and they will respond in kind later on. I try to be especially conscious of this because being obnoxious is one of my leading negative traits.
I think, by the time you’re my age, you should be aware of what it is about yourself that people who do not like you most dislike. I’m pretty sure mine is being an obnoxious know-it-all. I try to catch myself in the act and stop it, and I take extra care not to inflict it upon the young. Not rolling my eyes when a little guy says he’s exhausted from a hike that “went on for miles” is when my self consciousness kicks in.
Scout camping teaches the fundamentals of camping which turn camping itself into a useful tool. With great good fortune, camping Scouts may grow up to become adults who use camping to enjoy nature further or more directly. Camping to hunt in a hard-to-reach stretch of wilderness, camping as part of a float trip along a river, camping as part of an epic hike on a long trail for solitude’s sake, each of these uses demands a sound fluency in camping, and the only way to get that is to earn it one night on the hard ground at a time.
Introducing kids to the outdoors is an important responsibility. It’s not one to be taken lightly, or to be undertaken in the wrong state of mind. Let the little guys recall their campout any way they like. In one way or another, we are all seeking our own extremes.
Kevin Tate is a freelance writer. Email [email protected].
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