We have been camping in different combinations over the course of our marriage – Afa and I went a few times when we first got married, and he has taken Eliam and Ana Lia at different points. But June 2022 was the first time that all five of us went camping together. Camping is not necessarily my go to family activity because I have a strong affinity for both my bed and my shower. But I have wonderful memories of camping with my family growing up, and I want to build similar memories for my kids.

Thankfully, this was a church camping trip, and someone else took over all the planning and organizing. We only had to show up, so it was an easy way to dip our toes in the water of family camping. Because our church has more than 400 people, we had to travel far outside the Bay to find a campground large enough for everyone. That was the most challenging part because the kids slept for a few hours on the drive, so they were up past 11pm the first night. I understand that there should be some leniency with camping, but they woke up at 6am, hours earlier than they are normally up. However, a few hours of missed sleep aside, the first evening was all kinds of fun.

Friday Evening

We got there, and most of our friends already had their tents set up. The families had our tents all in the same area, right beside a huge fallen tree, which the kids decided was even better than a playground. It was the main attraction for most of the weekend. The kids romped around for a few hours while Afa set up the tents and I hung out with friends. Later in the evening, we headed to the main pavilion for a singing devotional. A few of the guys generously brought glow sticks for the kids, who swirled and twirled in the darkness while the adults had dinner. My children were entirely uninterested in food when glow sticks were the alternative.

At this point, Finiasi had had more than he could handle and asked to go back to our camping site. Not wanting a tantrum to disrupt the entire singing devotional, I took him back while Afa stayed with the other kids. We had two tents – one for Afa and I and one for the kids, but Fin obviously wanted to sleep in our tent instead of his. As the devotional ended around 10:30, Afa returned with the other kids. We received warnings earlier in the week that the night temperatures would drop into the 40’s so I had the kids wear multiple layers to bed. They ended up way overdressed as it never got cold. Afa read a few books that could be heard in both tents, and the kids eventually drifted off.

Saturday and All the Fun

The following day was the highlight of the weekend. We woke and had a community breakfast, simply enjoying being with one another. Because so many of the kids were camping near us, they woke up and started playing again. We had breakfast as a large group, and then headed over to the main pavilion to lead a session of children’s activities. I had about an hour’s worth of activities planned, but then the most exciting thing happened: no children showed up. They were all having so much fun with their family and friends that no one needed organized activities.

Our friends brought a slackline, and that became the highlight of playtime, but everyone simply played at their own pace and went about the day enjoying themselves instead of joining pre-planned games. After a quick lunch, we headed down to the lake. The lake was walkable, but it was a long walk – thankfully the kids love long walks. We got down there and joined our friends who were already swimming. A few hours of swimming and a long walk back to camp meant a few relaxed hours before dinner. 

During this time, I continued to learn the value of community living. My friends played with the kids in the water while I got to hang out on the beach. When we arrived back at camp, Fin slept and the other two disappeared to play with their friends for almost two hours. Because we were so close to so many people, I didn’t even feel the need to check on them. It was liberating to know that they were exploring the world, having fun, and remaining safe all at the same time. I imagine that this is what it is like to be in a tribe. Everyone works together to care for the children and the home, so that the deep loneliness so common to motherhood in the West is absolved by the social aspects of living near one another. 

Once we got to dinner, there were smores and more glow sticks. Ana Lia had a sleepover in her friend’s tent. The kids couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning was particularly relaxing for me because the previous day caught up with Afa and the kids, so they slept in. I got to have a great quiet time, snag coffee from two different tents, and spend slow time with friends as we ate breakfast and began breaking the tents down.

Children’s Ministry in new locations is always challenging, but as always, our dedicated teachers made it work and served the kids diligently during Sunday Service.

Conclusion

We had such a fantastic weekend that I started planning our next camping trip as soon as we got home. Afa asked if we could do it three or four times a year. Our kids loved being outside, sleeping on their own and enjoying the independence of the campsite. On future trips, we will continue to go with friends and family. It is so much more enjoyable when the responsibilities are shared around. Everyone gets some down time and also gets time with the kids. It was everything we could have asked for.

One of the main things that I will do differently next time is get the kids more involved in the set up of the tents, the cooking, and the break down of everything. But for our first outing, I consider it a massive success.