Don't despair! My DH had never camped in his life until about 10 years ago. I had to teach him everything--and he was pretty insufferable those first few times.
That's so funny! I got my start tent camping with my girl scout troop. No propane allowed! I had some hard core leaders! At the time I thought I didn't like it, but apparently it got under my skin! Many years later, I dragged my then-boyfriend out camping with me. He was not impressed with the idea. I practically had to haul him, kicking and screaming, into the woods! Before we could even set up camp, the rain poured on us, wetting *everything* and making a fire nearly impossible. We managed to wait out the rain and get a fire started (using some paint thinner I had in my car from a school project!) and we had a really fun afternoon setting up camp and cooking and just relaxing. A whole 24 hours into our week long expedition, I fell and dislocated my wrist. After another day of ice and ace bandages, and trying to convince myself it was 'just a bump' and would get better, I admitted defeat and said we had to go home. You never have seen such a sad face as the one he was wearing! Considering how much he DID NOT want to go, then to get soaked by the rain, choked by the worlds smokiest campfire ever, tormented by my fire top cooking and then to hear me complain about my arm for the last 2 days you'd think he would have been in the car and backing up before I finished my thought! He didn't want to go! He offered to go to a store and buy me some Tylenol or a new ace bandage if we could just finish our trip! (I had to turn him down, I was in the ER that night and in a cast for 2 months after!)
Now we pull a tiny little TT and camp with our 4 kids, as well as tent camping with cub and boy scouts! I guess he liked it after all!
My kids are just getting old enough to start inviting friends to camp with us. I may need to buy more tents!
Pulling an itty bittty TT with a new hulking SUV!
'05 Shadowcruiser T160 / '03 Ford Expedition
Don't despair! My DH had never camped in his life until about 10 years ago. I had to teach him everything--and he was pretty insufferable those first few times.
That's so funny! I got my start tent camping with my girl scout troop. No propane allowed! I had some hard core leaders! At the time I thought I didn't like it, but apparently it got under my skin! Many years later, I dragged my then-boyfriend out camping with me. He was not impressed with the idea. I practically had to haul him, kicking and screaming, into the woods! Before we could even set up camp, the rain poured on us, wetting *everything* and making a fire nearly impossible. We managed to wait out the rain and get a fire started (using some paint thinner I had in my car from a school project!) and we had a really fun afternoon setting up camp and cooking and just relaxing. A whole 24 hours into our week long expedition, I fell and dislocated my wrist. After another day of ice and ace bandages, and trying to convince myself it was 'just a bump' and would get better, I admitted defeat and said we had to go home. You never have seen such a sad face as the one he was wearing! Considering how much he DID NOT want to go, then to get soaked by the rain, choked by the worlds smokiest campfire ever, tormented by my fire top cooking and then to hear me complain about my arm for the last 2 days you'd think he would have been in the car and backing up before I finished my thought! He didn't want to go! He offered to go to a store and buy me some Tylenol or a new ace bandage if we could just finish our trip! (I had to turn him down, I was in the ER that night and in a cast for 2 months after!)
Now we pull a tiny little TT and camp with our 4 kids, as well as tent camping with cub and boy scouts! I guess he liked it after all!
My kids are just getting old enough to start inviting friends to camp with us. I may need to buy more tents!
DEFINATELY get more tents with 4 kids! Sometimes they each want to bring a couple of friends!
Bill & Linda
Ladymc & Shuttlebird
2008 Silver Dodge Diesel Dually 3500 - "The Silver Bullet"
Towing 1998 35 ft. Newmar 5th wheel
20K Husky Hitch & Blue Ox Bedsaver
Handheld Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS AND Sat. in dash mounted GPS in the truck
READY TO ROLL!
Thanks for sharing those great stories, rekindling some of my personal childhood camping memories and reaffirming why we're camping with our kids!
For us the opportunity to bring along friends for the kids is a four-fold blessing...1)our kids want to go camping with us more often and hopefully for many years to come...2) our kids do not become dependent on us for entertainment and enjoy the company of friends in a different environment...3) we get to enjoy the childish *giggle, giggle* and other kid talk (which from our point of view elicits a chuckle)...and 4) we love the opportunity to share our love of camping with kids whose families don't - for whatever reason...and who knows maybe it will be enough to get them out camping one day with their kids!
Don't despair! My DH had never camped in his life until about 10 years ago. I had to teach him everything--and he was pretty insufferable those first few times.
That's so funny! I got my start tent camping with my girl scout troop. No propane allowed! I had some hard core leaders! At the time I thought I didn't like it, but apparently it got under my skin! Many years later, I dragged my then-boyfriend out camping with me. He was not impressed with the idea. I practically had to haul him, kicking and screaming, into the woods! Before we could even set up camp, the rain poured on us, wetting *everything* and making a fire nearly impossible. We managed to wait out the rain and get a fire started (using some paint thinner I had in my car from a school project!) and we had a really fun afternoon setting up camp and cooking and just relaxing. A whole 24 hours into our week long expedition, I fell and dislocated my wrist. After another day of ice and ace bandages, and trying to convince myself it was 'just a bump' and would get better, I admitted defeat and said we had to go home. You never have seen such a sad face as the one he was wearing! Considering how much he DID NOT want to go, then to get soaked by the rain, choked by the worlds smokiest campfire ever, tormented by my fire top cooking and then to hear me complain about my arm for the last 2 days you'd think he would have been in the car and backing up before I finished my thought! He didn't want to go! He offered to go to a store and buy me some Tylenol or a new ace bandage if we could just finish our trip! (I had to turn him down, I was in the ER that night and in a cast for 2 months after!)
We have a saying in our family--"It's not a real vacation until somebody goes to the emergency room." So far we have had: DH gash his shin open 6", DH fracture his skull when his hammock broke, DS12 fall 17ft off a cliff, DS21 took a hot marshmellow stick to the eye,DH contracted pneumonia (nearly hospitalized), and I suffered a ruptured eardrum, scratched cornea and fractured ankle, all while camping. One of our prized possessions is a picture of the Las Vegas ER entrance.
"Those who dwell...among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."--Rachel Carson, environmentalist, 1956
DW didn't want to go this weekend, she wanted to see a movie, but the kids pestered her until she said we could go. When we returned and the kids were all in bed she said "Maybe camping was what I needed."
Pat ('66)
Sandi ('67)
DD ('92)
DS ('95)
DS ('03
2001 Town & Country
2004-Rockwood 2280 A few pictures
campkrazy wrote: Camping with boys can be a riot too.
Imagine listening to bodily function noises when you are trying to go to sleep.Plus the giggles.
Come on... you know when you bend your arm and blow to get those funny sounds.or the hand under the arm pit.
What a hoot!!!
I just love my boys.
They are 26,23,20
Do you think age has stopped them?
Oh yeah, I've done the boy campouts too. Burping their ABCs, lighting their farts, mud wrestling...My oldest son is 21 and we always took a friend with us camping. The funniest camping trip was last year when I decided to teach him how to bake potatoes in a fire. I wrapped up the taters in heavy-duty foil, stuck them in the coals--and promptly forgot about them. By the time I remembered them they were completely black and dried out. the boys spent the rest of the afternoon pitching Potato Bombs at tree trunks and watching them explode. Who needs video games?
Those boys never fail to remind me of those Potato Bombs.
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