Camping with little ones - Nightmare or dream come true?

Camping with a couple of toddlers can seem quite daunting and a little bit crazy. I was not particularly excited about the idea myself, but Adrian usually talks me into these things by saying stuff like, "It'll be fun," or "Where's your sense of adventure?", which he darn well knows pushes my buttons and makes me want to prove to him and myself that I've still got it. He pushes me to get out of my comfort zone and makes me do something adventurous, which I'm grateful for, because I usually end up having a great time. When he first came up with the whole camping idea, I immediately thought about all the stress involved in a venture like that and pretty much broke out in a cold sweat just thinking about staying in a tent in the middle of bug season. You see, Adrian tends to only think about the fun parts of an adventure (like roasting marshmallows and fishing with his son), and then ends up being disappointed when things don't quite work out the way he'd imagined, or the kids don't show any appreciation for taking them on a fun trip. He simply got a little bit overwhelmed and stressed out, once he realized that anything you do with a couple of toddlers in tow is not all sprinkles and rainbows. Everything that throws off their routine is challenging and tiring, and since I'm the realist and worrier in our family, it did not come as a surprise to me that things on a trip like that can get a little bit tough. I guess that's something we both have to work on. I'd like to be a little more spontaneous and positive when it comes to doing something out of the ordinary and not immediately think about all the things that could go wrong, and Adrian needs to work on lowering his expectations and realize that toddlers have no idea what the word 'appreciation' even means.

Our weekend started off well enough. Adrian took a Friday off - which in itself is kind of a miracle-, we got up in the morning, packed up the car and headed out. About three hours later we arrived at our destination, beautiful Killarney provincial park, and set up our campsite. We were feeling good about things. The kids were excited about putting up the tent and checking out the beach, and even the bugs I was so worried about weren't too bad. YET! We explored the area around our site and took the kids to see a friend of ours - Canadian singer and songwriter Ian Reid- play a small venue in the park's amphitheater. Check him out at http://ianreid.ca if you like amazing people and great music. Our son loved Ian so much that he got a little carried away and was out of control, trying to take over the entertainment by dancing on stage. We had some trouble getting him back to the campsite, because he was absolutely wired and didn't want to listen to anything we said. Thankfully Mia passed out fairly early and I was able to put her down no problem. We made a little campfire and roasted some marshmallows with Noah, because we're suckers for punishment and thought he needed some more sugar. Luckily, he went to bed without major issues at around 10pm, which was the end of the first day for us. Overall I thought we'd handled day one well, and I was looking forward to day number two.

The next morning we felt ambitious and energetic, so we decided to do something a little nuts and strap the kids on our backs to go for a 6 km hike called 'the crack', which was rated difficult. That should've been enough warning for us, but I shrugged it off thinking they probably have to exaggerate a little bit, you know, to scare off the overenthusiastic senior citizen or people with health conditions. After all, how hard could it be to walk up a mountain in 30 degree weather, while the sun is mercilessly beating down on you? I can tell you now that difficult actually means difficult. Heed the warnings guys, because they do not lie or downplay it in Killarney. Lesson learned the hard way. When we saw the first incline and the rocky terrain about a km into the trail, we did think about turning around and going for an easier trail, but that would've meant giving up and I don't like the taste of failure in my mouth. So we soldiered on, and even though I thought I was going to die and my knee started acting up real bad on our way back down, the view we got to take in at the top of Killarney Ridge was worth every second of the struggle. It was simply spectacular and a very special moment shared with the whole family. It also felt good to push ourselves a little bit and I have to admit that I was rather proud of us for making it, despite the difficult climb and extra weight on our shoulders. Afterwards we had some well deserved and much needed lunch at a little restaurant by the water, that is known for their world famous fish and chips and was recommended to us by several people throughout our time at the park. I have to admit that it probably really was the best fish and chips I've ever had, so if you ever get to Killarney, definitely go and have lunch or dinner at Herbert Fisheries. 

And that was about the turning point of our camping weekend. Naturally we were exhausted from the long hike and too much sun, and all we wanted to do was lie down for a nap. But the kids were not having any of it. They had hung out in a backpack for 4 hours - Mia even napped for about half that time - and they were both well rested and ready to party. There was simply no way they were going to lie down and give us a break. So we did our best to tire them out, by taking them to the beach to play in the water, and we all went to bed at 7 pm that evening. Mia wasn't happy about it and screamed bloody murder for about 30 minutes and woke up screaming at least a dozen times during the night. It was rough and that was exactly the way we felt the following morning. We were tired and short of patience, the kids were fussy and cried about everything from itchy mosquito bites to not getting their morning milk fast enough. That's about the time Adrian got fed up with all the fussing and whining and got a tiny bit irritated himself. 

We tried making one last ditch effort to turn the day around and went for a paddle in the canoe, but Mia didn't feel like sitting in her chair anymore and had a major fit in the middle of the lake. It was total chaos. She got off the chair, started crawling towards me in the front -which had the canoe rocking dangerously-, her little Muskoka chair went overboard and we had to backpedal to fish it out of the water. Noah started whining, telling us he wanted to go play at the beach and Adrian lost his cool and started yelling. I started yelling at Adrian, telling him I knew this was going to happen (and lets be honest; there's simply nothing worse than an I-told-you-so in a situation like that) and we paddled back to the beach in icy silence. We let the kids play in the water a little while longer, and I actually managed to enjoy myself again and decided it was time to head home on a positive note. We stopped for some Ice cream at the French River trading post, which made for a nice ending to our weekend and were definitely relieved when we got home, knowing the kids would sleep in their own beds that night.

 

Overall, I think camping with little ones is doable and - with the right attitude - even enjoyable. You just have to be aware that any trip - especially the ones lacking conveniences like a fridge, microwave or mosquito free zones - are going to be more challenging. But if you're the type of person who's always up for a challenge and are blessed with the patience and grace of an angel, a camping trip with a couple of toddlers is probably going to be a walk in the park. It's really all about how you approach things, about how prepared you are and how organized. Pack wisely, don't forget important things that would throw off their routine even more (like their favorite sleeping buddy), do the occasional deep breathing exercise and you'll be just fine. Would I do it again, you might ask? Definitely! Not only did we get to explore this beautiful country we live in a little bit more and did see some amazing scenery, but the kids had a ton of fun. They were so excited about the whole sleeping in a tent thing, had a blast splashing around in the water and they simply enjoyed being outdoors, spending some time with the whole family. I think they were both super happy having their daddy around, because he's working hard to support us and we don't get to enjoy his company all that often. Yes, it definitely was more stressful than a camping trip without children and we did struggle, but we will probably remember this weekend for the rest of our lives. And isn't it always the stories about struggle and pain that are worth telling over and over again?

I'd love to hear about your camping experiences with your kids. Did you have a blast or a terrible time? Do you have tips and tricks on how to make a family trip easier and more enjoyable? What do you think is the perfect age to take your kids on their first camping adventure? Don't hesitate to comment or email me. I promise I'll get back to you as soon as I can. If you enjoyed this post, don't forget to subscribe, like our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram.