Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
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Well I couldn't stand it anymore, so I had to start something on this topic! We have 3 kids ages 14,soon to be 13 and 11. We have been taking them camping since they were small...around ages 4, 5 and 7. We started by borrowing my parents big motorhome then we decided about 4 years ago that we needed our own so we bought a 5-wheel bunkhouse. We love it. We have taken them out West and seen so many wonderful things in this beautiful country.
It is getting so much harder to take those long wonderful trips with them because of all the sports they are involved in.
We have always taken lots of board games to play with them. We love to sit around the table and play those games in the evening. We take lots of walks and hikes. We always take all of our bikes, basketballs, baseball stuff, tennis stuff and fishing poles!
We do take a tv/vcr for them to use in their bunk-house room at night when they are trying to settle down to go to sleep. But they really rather play games and go on long walks.
We also always bring our dog. He's a great camper.
It always brings our family together to leave home and go out camping on a great adventure.Our oldest daughter who is 14, doesn't think camping is that 'cool'. We don't dare talk about it around her friends. She has no friends at her school who go camping! And when leaving town, I think she'd like to leave early in morning or late so no one from her school would recognize our truck with the 5-wheel. I think I've caught her 'ducking down' so no one sees her!! But with this said, once we get out of town, she's happy as a lark and having fun.
Its just a phase she's going thru. We have found that with all the happy times we have together, camping is really theraputic for all of us. We hate that morning we have to pack up and leave to come home. (They hate the long truck rides home!)So start your kids young! They will love it and you for taking them camping!!!! and the memories are......PRICELESS!
Ann and Tom
We usually always try to make smores every night! The kids love to make fires!!!...in the fire ring of course! Oh and bring bug catchers and flashlights!
I don't know if it is just a phase that your teenager is going through. I have a 16 yr old daughter who thinks that the RV is the coolest thing around. One thing that I did, was make sure that she knew how to drive the RV (we started in the high school parking lot when she got her learners permit). She has logged about 800 miles with me in the passenger seat. We also make sure to include friends and extended family that our her age on some trips. She even convinced me to drive the Winniebago to Prom with 4 couples. We were the hit of the party, everyone wanted a tour...
You might try a trip with just a group of her friends. Maybe to a campground near something they all want to do (an amusement park??)... We have done that the last two summers.
I think it is a phase. She probably doesn't think it's cool or her friends may not thinks it is. Maybe if she can take a friend with her she it may change. Our son says he doesn't like it. He is 17 and I think he just doesn't want to go with his parents.
I do know what you mean about sports. They never seem to end. Our son plays soccer and the training for high school starts the week after school is out.
