Camping with a reluctant child

[Juiceey]

Hi all,

Tips please. We're 'glamping' next week (in a bell tent) for the first time and taking DS (10) with us. He generally makes our trips a bit miserable... he's an only child and it shows. He can't entertain himself at all and lives for his electronics.

So! He'll probably hate it but I'm determined we'll have a good time. Any tips for me please? DW isn't that keen either to be honest... but at least the dog is.

@drspouse do you mind telling me where that was? I’ve been looking at Somerset & Wales.

Why did you decide glamping was a good idea?

When DC was that age we would have a plan for the day so we knew we were going somewhere.

Up for breakfast (DC can help cook if supervised) and then out to a local attraction/park/castle/beach of some sort. We'd take a picnic or buy lunch out. Usually had a good walk. Back to the campsite for 4pm and time to chill. We would all read, play cards and make dinner together.

A campfire is great and DC loved learning how to get it going and toast marshmallows.

As long as we've been out and about I am pretty chilled about phones and iPads in the evenings.

It's not all 'happy families' and it's hard when the weather is bad but it's even harder without a plan. You need to do some research beforehand about places to visit and whether you need to book ahead. The worst scenario is when everyone just sits around waiting for something to happen.

Bring power banks to charge tablet/ electronic stuff. Glo sticks, sparklers good fun at night, wouldn't worry too much and wouldn't be trying to detox either, let him have his technology if he's happy , let him bring it on your walks or whatever. Look up surrounding area for activities too

My DCs love our hammocks. They are great for relaxing in after a walk with a book or DS while dinner is cooking. (Yes we allowed screen time for an hour or two at end of day before supper).
We also would camp near an outdoor activity such as horse back riding, canoeing, fishing, archery, zip line/ropes adventure course, caving, castles, beach etc and do day trips to one of these fun things. Frankly, cards and board games we only pulled out if a rainy day and stuck under the dining tent.

@PlanDeRaccordement

Can I ask which hammocks you have. DC is desperate for one - both for camping and for the garden - but my brain explodes at all of the options !

Of course. I got them on amazon, will page through the orders and post links. I laughed when I hit post and then saw you’d written almost exact same thing as I did! My youngest actually sleeps in one of them as she thinks tents are claustrophobic. So I just put citronella candle in a tub at base of trees and she snoozes all night under the stars.
Be right back.

@RomaineCalm

Hammocks- definitely want a 2 person one because the 1 person ones do not comfortably fit a full grown adult or teen. Also the weight allowance is such that two pre-teen children can safely both sit or lay side by side in one if they want to. Only one of the ones we bought is showing available on Amazon UK (I am in EU)

Signswise Portable 2 Person Outdoor Camping Garden Beach Travel Canvas Hammock in Red £24.40
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00T63J87I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

This is unavailable one, same kind but in green.
Green Bay 200x150cm Multi-Blue Outdoor Hang Bed Large 2 Person Canvas Hammock
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07D9HR71H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

We like that we can spot wash them. They dry very well and are soft nonallergenic natural materials. Also you don’t want a nylon hammock because they do not breathe and make you hot and sweaty. These ones also pack up very small in their own carrier bag.

You will also need hammock straps to attach safely to trees and without damaging trees. They are also very easy and fast unlike messing around with slippy ropes. The ones we got are unavailable on Amazon UK, but I’m putting link in anyway because you can see what they look like and they have suggestions of similar ones that should work just as well:

ZUER Hammock Straps Adjustable 300cm Long Tree Straps,Hanging Straps Kit Included 2 Hammock ropes and 2Heavy Hooks Snap Duty Carabiners Carrying Bag Fits All Hammocks
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07CSWX19M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

Camping is an opportunity for other activities. We usually take tablets, but secretly, so we can bring out in case of long term rain, but otherwise not reveal their existence. My (11yo) DTDs like helping to build the fire, card games, cycling round the campsite, star gazing (with an app), toasting marshmallows, playing Trivial Pursuits, flying a kite, paddling in a stream... We also go for walks (to a pub for lemonade and crisps) or bike rides (ditto) They do love camping best with friends but they also often meet new friends on a campsite. I would also suggest a plant identification app, learning to read a map, visiting local attractions etc.

I also agree, just make plans. Camping is just the base. I HATE camping, always have, always will, but I did enjoy the places we visited at the time. No one will ever drag me camping again, but I was left with good memories despite all of this. I also might as well have been an only child as me and my brother hated each other and didn't speak - literally.

@PlanDeRaccordement Thank you so much - that's really helpful.

There is nothing wrong with boredom. Learning to deal with it is an essential life skill.

My kids also would say they want their devices ahead of any outdoorsy offer. They don’t get a choice though and I drag them camping and bushwalking on a regular basis. They whinge and screech and carry on like I am destroying their lives! But at the end of the day, when they are reminiscing, they never mention the time they sat home all day playing Minecraft. It is always the time Mum made us walk to that waterfall and we got covered with leeches, the time we went camping and it was torrential rain and the tent flooded and the time Mum made us get up for the sunrise and there was so much pink.

Don’t take devices, organise a few walks and board games and otherwise shrug off any l’m bored’ with an ‘oh well’.

@CoffeeRunner it's NW but if you look on the Family Camping group on FB I can't think of anyone saying they had trouble finding a site with toilets (We only went for a weekend so I wasn't worried about showers)

Exploding kittens and Uno are great fun

Are you sure he’s not Pokémon Go-ing any more? Many people do carry on playing at level 40. There’s also the new one, Wizards is it? If you wanted to encourage something like that. I appreciate it’s a bit of a double edged sword (ha, see what I did there?).

Has he got a Swiss Army knife? That and an outdoor survival kit might spark some interest. My two tech addicted boys love using their flints and steel to start the bbq fire, whittling bits of wood etc. We try to have at least one activity every couple of days - accrobranche, horse riding, visiting caves, etc.

How about doing some 'real life's Pokémon Go type stuff - Ispy or Usbourne Spotters Guide books.

Why did you decide glamping was a good idea?

I wondered that too, tbh. Nothing personal to the dog, but if two out of three people aren't keen, why would you choose it?

Op, it’s hard to tell just how unenthused about camping your son is going to be. Just because he prefers electronics and doesn’t entertain himself well solo doesn’t mean camping won’t work. It just means you need to be prepared to engage with him instead of ignoring him.

Now, it’s also possible there is an underlying hatred of actual camping here. If that is the case, I have to ask why you are dragging your child on this trip. My parents did the same to me. They loved fishing. Getting up before dawn and sitting in a small boat all day catching fish. I, being susceptible to sunburn and seasickness, would spend the day burning to a crisp while leaning over the side of the boat puking. As a parent myself now, I am now even more sure they were simply selfish. They knew the activity was not good for me, but we did it constantly. So if you are going camping and you know your son will be the only one bitten by the mosquitoes or who gets poison ivy from simply walking near it, then pick something else.

I chose glamping because centreparcs are doing this thing where you can only swim twice for 2 hour sessions your whole trip. I'm not paying 1.5k for that, we normally live in the pool!

We camped when he was 1-5 and he always loved it. He's just a moody screen addict.

I'm so glad I started this thread, some great suggestions, thanks so much!!

Easy outdoor games- we have boules and molky so everyone can join in.

I'll google those!

You need to mirror his behaviour before you go so when you make him lunch or dinner have a good old whinge about it, try to use the phrases he does. This works for everything that benefits him, laundry, cleaning, whinge about the cost of paying the electric bill for all the devices charging.

At 10 he is old enough to understand that the world does not revolve around him and he must play games with his friends that aren't his first choice because that is what you do with friends, give and take.

If he is miserable when he isn't on electronics then tell him the simple solution is just to remove them permanently. That is your threat.

I have two teenage sons, so yes I know all about how much fun gaming is.

Exploding kittens is a good card game but you can be out quite quickly, uno, lots of simple card games to play, look at co-op games such as Forbidden Island where you all win or lose together, you work as a team. Great strategy game.

@drspouse thank you. I’m not on FB but looking at the usual campsite booking sites all are telling me no toilets! Like you, I could manage without a shower for a few nights.

The campsite we're going to has showers.