Lessons learned at the campground

We went camping last week – at a campground. Camping at a campground is like camping-light. Sure we slept in tents and cooked over the bonfire, but we also had bathrooms and showers a short walk from our site, an electrical outlet at our site, WiFi service (really great WiFi by the way), a pool, and a man-made lake with paddle boats.

Still, anytime we get away from our normal routine, we learn things. Some of them are about nature; some of them are about ourselves. Here’s what we learned.

• Getting to the camp sight after your husband and children have completely set up camp is the way to go (I was at the Food & Wine festival the day they left for camping – I have such a rough life!).
  
• Boys love fire.
  
• You can swim amongst thousands of tadpoles and never once feel one touch you.
  
• When you’re in the middle of a lake on a paddle boat, it’s fun to stop peddling and see which way the lake wants to take you.
  
• When you’re in the middle of that lake, it’s also fun to ask big questions when the children are completely away from other distractions – like if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go. My ten year old – to all the really great amusement parks. My seven year old – to Israel to see where Jesus lived.
  
• If you decide to leave the camping stove at home so you can cook the burgers over the open fire, you still need something to cook the burgers on – and something to flip them with.
  
• The store at the campground anticipates the fact that people like me will forget to bring something to cook their burgers on.
  
• Boys love fire.
  
• There are really big bugs in the woods. Really big.
• Two brothers, who generally fight like brothers, can suddenly be quite united and respectful of each of each other when they are trying to convince you that they are responsible enough to go exploring on their own.
  
• When you’re over a certain age, and you sleep on the ground, it’s very difficult to stand up straight when you wake up. You just might have to ask one of your children to bend over and unzip the tent for you once you’ve straightened yourself up because you’re afraid if you bend over again, you might not be able to get up a second time.
  
• Catch and release fishing ponds can have some really disgusting dead fish in them.
  
• Boys love fire.
  

Past lessons learned:

at the pond

at the beach

in the strawberry patch