Camping with kids can be a great way to bond with your children. The great outdoors provides many memorable experiences, from cooking smores on an open flame to family swims in a lake or river.
At the same time, camping with kids can also be a massive headache that will change your perspective on how you spend time with your kids. These parents quickly realized that camping with kids isn’t always the glorious experience we hope it will become.
If you’re considering taking to the woods for family bonding time, check out these social media posts before making your final decision.
The Sweet Relief Of The Woods
X user @GFishandNuggets has already helped their five-year-old son build memories when camping. Okay, it was only one memory, probably not what Mommy probably hoped for.
I wonder what else happened on the previous camping trip with her kid, leaving him only remembering that he gets to use the woods at his bathroom.
Camping Or The Terrible Twos. Is There A Difference
As a dad of four children, I’m sure the terrible twos are worse than camping with two children simultaneously.
I love being outside, and camping with multiple kids doesn’t scare me; however, camping with a child in their terrible twos sounds like a wholly awful plan I would like to avoid at all costs.
A New Camping World Record? We’re Impressed
The idea of camping with children sounds excellent. You get to show your kids a life without screens and have extra time to bond with your kids over a campfire or a hike in the woods.
The actual practice, at least for X user @threetimedaddy, lasted 19 hours before they threatened to take their kids home. If that’s their family record, I’m shocked they keep taking their kids on camping trips.
I’m Never Taking A Baby Camping
I get taking a baby on a plane; if you have to travel, there are times when you need to be on a plane with your kids. Camping, however, can be avoided entirely.
If you’re camping with a baby and it goes horribly wrong, there are zero people to blame except yourself. You are also a far braver person than I am.
And That’s How Dad Learned A Valuable Lesson
I can’t even identify if the milk in our fridge is still good until I take a sip. There’s no way I’m eating a bunch of berries because I “think” they look good enough to eat.
I would love to see that study if anyone has tracked the stupid things dads do when camping with kids. At the same time, at least Dad takes one for the team. It would be far worse if he used his kids as test subjects.
The Brutal Honesty In This Tweet…
Twitter user Stephanie Ortiz (@Six_Pack_Mom) has very strong feelings about what it means to go camping. These feelings don’t align with her husband’s own thoughts on the matter.
Don’t worry. Stephanie kept tweeting after sending this tweet, so she didn’t die, although it doesn’t sound like she had fun on the family camping trip with the kids.
Plumbing Wins This Round
At least when I’m exhausted at home with my kids, I can tell them to go outside and play. When I’m exhausted with them at camp, they are already outside.
If Courtney needs indoor plumbing that much, it’s probably good; she recognizes it and stays home. At the same time, there are plenty of campgrounds with bathroom facilities, and that’s my kind of camping.
200 5th Graders On A Camping Trip? No Thanks!
I don’t care if there are 20 parent guardians or a small cohort of trained professionals; there is no way you are getting me to attend a camping trip with 200 children.
At the same time, if I were to put together a list of required items and half of those kids were statistically going to be 5th-grade boys, I would probably only urge the need to bring a lot of deodorants.
Time To Go Home
Camping with kids can be a ton of fun. It can also be a hellish landscape that makes you yearn for a weekend filled with Netflix binging and a stiff drink.
Apparently, Twitter user @HenpeckedHal would choose the latter if the opportunity presented itself. They might have been better off with a “backyard camping” excursion rather than heading into the great outdoors.
It Looks Like Jewel Is Staying Home
If your spouse and children look at you with fear when you ask if you’re going on a family camping trip with them, maybe it’s best to stay home.
Conversely, if you go camping and camp better than they do, you can hold it over their heads for the rest of your life, maybe that’s worth its weight in gold.
I Guess You Could Say Their Children Were Trolling Them
Is this a master class in trolling? Watching your parents struggle in a torrential downpour to put up a tent while you watch Trolls World Tour from insight a comfy vehicle?
Also, putting up a tent in a torrential downpour while you could just wait it out from the comfort of your car sounds like the right movie. Otherwise, you just end up with the inside of a tent that is also soaking wet. The kids won this round!
Forgot Potty Training, We Introduce Camping Training
This kid is ready to go camping. Okay, I don’t know if that’s the case, but he’s definitely prepared for the bathroom portion of camping.
Leave it to a dad to determine that going to the bathroom in the daycare’s mulch is a good sign that his son is ready to head outdoors for a family excursion at a campsite.
They Could Have Gone Glamping With The Children
Twitter user Sarcastic Mommy has found the best camping hack for people who don’t love camping. Just stay home and let the more adventurous members of your family take on the camping trip.
If electricity and running water are essential for you, it’s probably good you realize that fact and let the outdoorsy members of your family go on without you.
Camping Goals For Non-Camping Parents
X user @TheCatWhisprer has the right idea. If you provide your kids with all of the creature comforts, they won’t even think about heading into the great outdoors.
I believe outdoor time is crucial for children, but that doesn’t mean I must remove them from indoor plumbing and electricity. If nothing else, pop a tent in the backyard, get a portable fire pit, and have a family adventure that still involves toilets with plumbing.
Living Room Camping It Totally A Real Camping Experience
I’m not sure how you “for real” camp in a living room, but I build a mean couch fort and I’m pretty sure I can cook smores on my stovetop if given the opportunity.
Twitter user James Breakwell might not be an outdoorsman, but he could coin the term indoors man and run with it. I’m sure many parents would approve of this living room camping plan over the real thing.
Just Play “Camping” Instead!
X user @oneawkwardmom has found the ultimate camping hack: pretend camping. Let your kids build a tent and then nap inside their creation as they play their little camping game.
This could become an issue if they suddenly decide the real deal is worth a shot. At the same time, it can buy you more time before outdoor camping becomes a family tradition, and you’ll get to nap in the short term.
