What is one thing that will bond your family? Does your family doctor have the right pill to bond your family? Does the school have the answer to bond the family? Does the music director have the answer? Oh maybe it is the superbowl champion sports camp that will bond the family. Unfortunately, all these people may bring your family together for an event or two but five years from now at the family gathering you will probably not be talking about the recital you went to, unless something out of the ordinary happened, or you are like my son that remembers everything.

More...

What is it that bonds your family like few other opportunities? As you can pay big money to go see the Cubs win the world series like many of my friends did, but none that I talked to took their entire family. Someone was left out of the epic event! Not a good family bond to leave someone out. What is it that you don’t have to spend your inheritance on to bond your family? The experience your family will have camping will bond your family like few others.

Why does camping bond the family?

1.) Space

I was working in a large house a couple months ago that the family had moved into and the wife made a comment that she was thankful they lived in a smaller house first. I asked why and she said, "Because this house is so large my children can easily escape and I have no idea where they are."  Most aspects of camping bring the family together. The car ride brings you closer as it is usually stuffed so that you are squeezed closer to one another. Your camp site is usually smaller than your front yard. (unless you have a campsite like we had once that was literally the size of our tent…check out the story here.) And your tent, that is to fit your entire family and maybe a dog or two, is smaller than your bedroom. Yes the physical closeness of everything camping literally and figuratively brings the family together.

2.) Unplugs

If you are like me and most of the general public you have a cell phone and for better or for worse it may have you. The truth is, most of us are so plugged into technology that we miss what is going on in the immediate area around us. We live by a park and on a normal day children are playing and parents are sitting “watching” their cell phone. We need to unplug and look, listen, feel, touch and yes even smell one another in your family. When was the last time everyone in your family read a book by themselves or together as a family? The challenge is, that technology can still go camping, but only if you let it!  How about the technology goes on vacation as well?!

3.) Memories

What happens to your family when you are intentionally put in a smaller space and technology is off? Memories are made! One time we were camping in the Rockies and it just so happened to be the coldest night of the week (below freezing). I had been reading a book aloud as we lay in bed and slowly one by one our three boys and daughter fell asleep. Well, in the wee hours that night my oldest son who happens to be sleeping the furthest from me wakes up calling my name. This is normal as he had every night because he would slip out of his sleeping bag and be freezing and needed help getting back in. So this freezing cold (literally) night I carefully stepped across his brothers only to see him in his bag just fine. What in the world I think? It is freezing! He says, “Dad do mice swim?” Oh my I answered the question and went back to my bed crying because I was laughing so hard. Then my wife and I couldn't stop laughing.  Guess what, that was three years ago and we still laugh about it. Inherently memories will be made because of the physical closeness as a family and the distractions of media and busyness are gone. The sporting events, music concerts, drama productions and much more might be important but will soon be forgotten, while the memories made from camping will last a lifetime.

What is holding you back from leading your family to a bonding experience that will last a lifetime?