I like camping… sort-of.

I like being out in nature, smelling the pine trees and cooking over a crackling fire. I like relaxing in a camp chair, away from computers, phones, traffic and to-do lists. I like spending the entire day outside, watching my kids explore rivers, rocks and trails. I like making foil dinners at night and roasting smores before bed. I especially like it when my family is happy.

Camping seems like a magical mix of childhood and freedom.

But it really isn’t.

Camping is just a lot of work, mixed with a lot of dirt. So. Much. Dirt.

I can handle getting dirty and letting my kids get dirty. Being dirty is fine. What I can’t stand, is never being clean. Climbing into bed with filthy feet and dust covered clothes… gross.

I suppose, if I was a really selfless parent, I would loosen up and take my kids camping a few times a year. But, that’s not what I am going for. My goal is to be a ‘pretty good’ parent, not ‘outstanding’ or ‘spectacular’.

We can have a camp fire, hike and explore and do all the great camping things… as long as we can shower and sleep in a cabin at night.