In my wildest dreams I never thought that I would enjoy and appreciate a family camping trip so much.
I am a mom of a four year old boy and seven month old twin boys. So life, to say the least, is very busy! I am also a psychologist providing postpartum support to new and experienced moms and find myself practicing what I am preaching. Most times that means being present and paying attention to the here and now.Many of you may read this and think, “wow she is a super mom – having three young kids, working and still being able to “keep it cool.” But don’t let me fool you. I am not in the “zen” zone. I have many moments throughout the day when I am about ready to pull my hair out or secretly wish that bedtime would be NOW, with my boys sound asleep just so I could have some quite time by myself.
As we all know, this fast-paced, multi-tasking lifestyle we live in and our “to do list” is endless. Many times when I am with my children I have the urge to check emails, return a phone call, worry about making lunch box, washing the dishes and what and when should I make dinner. My mind can generate so many lists of things I want to accomplish and the mere fact that I cannot get most of it done is not only exhausting but also frustrating.
So I decided that a good way of giving my mind a break was to plan a camping trip. The vision of having no cell phone reception, internet connection, no negotiations with my son about watching another TV show was liberating.
Being together with my loved ones in nature, enjoying the weather, the fire at night, was such a grounding experience.
Don’t get me wrong, I still had moments, looking at my husband and giving him a what-were-we-thinking-look. Especially so when we had to make sure that the twins were not putting rocks in their mouths, when one of the twin boys was not able to fall asleep in the tent and when I was thinking about the hours it was going to take me to unpack and get the house back in order. BUT, all was forgotten when I woke up in the morning with a satisfying sense of accomplishment and closeness with my family.
At times all we need is to pause for a minute and take a step back. It is such a great reminder that enjoying the simple things of life like being together and spending truly quality time is the essence of being a family. When our oldest son asked us “can we go camping everyday?” I looked at my husband and knew that even though we had some intense moments it was without doubt worth it.
Photo by Mexicanwave
