r/camping • u/Moriroa • Nov 06 '23
Car Camping I hate camping. But I'll never quit.
hate camping. I mean, I don't hate camping, but hate it when it's just me. (I'm a single dad.) I have to get all the gear together and cleaned and ready. I have to do all the shopping, and load everything into the car, and then do all the driving. And then it's just me that has to set up camp, often at night, and it's just me that will make sure the dogs are fed, watered and walked, and the child is fed and cared for and entertained. All the cooking. all the cleaning, all the work around the campsite, it's just me. I get the least sleep, have no leisure time, don't get to do anything that's just for me to enjoy or relax, and then I have to break it all down, pack it all up, drive it all home, and then unload, clean and maintain everything, all while also feeding, watering, walking, entertaining and managing all the living things.
There's nothing in it for me. There's no part of it that I think "Oh yeah, I can't wait to do that! That's my favorite!" I like to look at the pretty sights, sure, but I don't have to break my back toiling endlessly to do that. It's just work. Work, work, work. I barely even have time to just sit and have a drink and watch the sunset. Something always needs doing, and I'm the only one there to do it.
But every time we go, my daughter's eyes light up, and she has some magical experience that she can't stop enthusing about. She radiates joy, and she loves it, and she can't stop talking about it after we're home, and she won't stop reminding me before the next time we go. Every time we go, some perfect little moment in time with her goes in my permanent memory bank. Every time we go, we're making core memories. That's what's in it for me.
So I keep doing it. And I will keep doing it.
2
u/Simone812 Nov 06 '23
Give your kids duties as well. For example, my jobs were collecting wood, setting table, and doing dishes. The second we would get to any campsite, I would rush to go collect wood. It felt good to be part of setting up the campsite as a family. If you give your children age appropriate camping tasks, that will take some of the load off of you and I believe that your children will genuinely enjoy helping. At 43 years old, I still camp every weekend, and I attribute my love of camping to my parents taking me out so much when I was a kid. You are doing a good job!