My Favorite Way to Spend Those 18 Summers

It's almost here - that time of year when the madness slows down and the swimsuits come out.

Summer. No schedule. No school. No running here and there. Sweet, sweet summer.

Those of us who are lucky get about 18 of them with our kids before they go off to college and into the world on their own.

When my kids were little, it seemed like summers with them would last forever, and yet, now that they're getting into their teenage years, I feel like those 18 summers are slipping by way too fast. 

"How did I get here so fast?" I wonder, "And how can I make the most of every childhood summer they have left?"

For my family, there's really only one answer.

Camping. It really is my favorite way to spend those 18 summers.

Camping trips can be pure magic for quality family time. It looks so relaxing on Instagram, doesn’t it? The s’mores, campfires, and beautiful views. The idea of hiking all day surrounded by the most gorgeous scenery only to come back and relax by a fire all evening with your family.

But is it actually that good?

After camping with my boys all summer long for the past 5 summers, I can tell you that sometimes it is actually that good and sometimes it's not. 

Sometimes you might take a couple of weeks off from work, spend good money on a campground reservation, and spend night after night cooped up in a soggy tent.

Sometimes you might drive 6 hours from home to camp in a gorgeous spot and realize after arriving that you left your tent poles at home. Or you buy an RV and realize that everything needs repairing on your first trip out.

But other times, you get week after week of gorgeous weather, plenty of time outdoors with your family, and heaps of family memories you'll talk about for years to come.

The campfires glow bright every single night, the fish bite every single day, and you make loads of new camp-loving friends to sweeten the experience.

It's those good times that keep my crew coming back to a summer full of camping year after year. (In fact, we love camping so much that we actually do it year-round in our Airstream, but that's another story. Summer camping is really where it's at.)

"But I'm not the camping type! I've never even been camping!"

That's what I thought too until I tried it.

I did not grow up camping. My mom really wasn’t the wilderness-loving type, and I was right there with her. In fact, when we went on the one-off camping trips with our youth group in my teenage years, she and I were the first two to ditch the wet tent and sleep in the car or head to a hotel.

But as I got older, I realized there are heaps of different options for camping, and not every option is right for every family. So now I know that if my mom and I had been in a drier climate, we would probably have been just fine in that tent. Or, if we had been glamping in a fancy camper, we would have been even better. It all depends on knowing where you’re going and what you need for the type of camping you’ll be doing.

We started camping with our boys about once every summer when they were tiny, and we always went out in a tent because that’s the most cost-effective way to do it. Then, when we decided we wanted to travel full-time, we moved into a camper – first a gigantic 5th wheel and then a smaller Airstream. Needless to say, we've camped several different ways over the years.

We've met loads of camp-loving families too and seen them camp a few different ways as well, many of them coming back to the same campground year after year with the same friends and even their kids long after they've entered adulthood.

And with all that experience, I wholeheartedly believe that camping trips are magic for family bonding.

I'm even starting to believe that camping might be something we all do together long after my kids have flown the coop.

So, this weekend - you guessed it - I'll be camping with my kids. Really camping (minus the tent). With campfires, hammocks, s'mores, tramps through the woods - the whole shebang. 

What about you - what's your #1 way to spend those precious summers with your kiddos while they're still little? 

Hop into the email group and share - I'd love to know!