Help getting family to go along

[albow720]

I love being outside. Camping, just a day hike, week long hunting trip anything. My family, daughter(14) and son(13) don’t seem to share my interests. I remember being that age and having other things on my mind. What do you do encourage your kids to come along. I don’t want to pressure so much they hate it. Any tips are much appreciated.


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[Antarctica]

Did you start them on it early, and now they have lost interest? Or are you trying to generate that interest now, at this age?

For my young kids, we are always doing things outside, except in the heat of the summer. Day hikes, 'hunting' trips (walk around in the woods with a gun, and drink lots of hot chocolate), etc. I try to include things that they think are new, or novel, or most importantly, bear some perception of being 'adult'.

My kids (4 and 5) love to walk around in the wods around our house at night with a coleman lantern. They think the lantern is something special - a privelege granted them for being responsible. Guns are the same. "hunting for them is mostly about drinking hot chocolate when we stop to 'look for deer'.

At an older age, it might be tougher if they haven't developed a love for the outdoors already. Again though try to meld it with something novel or 'adult' something shooting, dirtbiking, ATV's etc...

Not sure I'm much of a help here - just throwing out ideas.

 

[BFR]

At that age it’s pretty hard to get them interested, it has to be their idea. If they have just lost interest it’ll still be up to them but it could be a phase and may come back to it. My wife and daughters went with me as babies in car seats. By 3 or 4 years old they would sleep in the back of the Jeep so they wouldn’t get left behind. The grandkids did the same and 2 of them are now along with my wife my hunting partners. All you can do is invite them, if they go make it fun if they don’t you can’t make them or they will come to resent it.

 

[albow720]

At that age it’s pretty hard to get them interested, it has to be their idea. If they have just lost interest it’ll still be up to them but it could be a phase and may come back to it. My wife and daughters went with me as babies in car seats. By 3 or 4 years old they would sleep in the back of the Jeep so they wouldn’t get left behind. The grandkids did the same and 2 of them are now along with my wife my hunting partners. All you can do is invite them, if they go make it fun if they don’t you can’t make them or they will come to resent it.

Thanks for the replies. They both used to spend time hunting and overnight hiking just seemed to loose interest lately. Sounds like I will keep doing what I am doing keep inviting them along and hope they regain some interest down the road.


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[HairyScandinavian]

My youngest is 15 and he pretends he's not interested but once we get out there he's a natural and gets after it. He does seem to prefer going places where he knows he'll have reliable cell signal. I've forced him to go quite often in the past simply due to no options for babysitter and such but recently consciously backing off of that as he's at the age now he can stay home alone safely.

 

[albow720]

I fully understand the cell signal. Not sure if they could make it a day without.


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[missjordan]

My parents got divorced when i was a kid the same age as your kids. I was not immersed in the outdoor lifestyle at all and then one day my mom met a boyfriend that was and he got us interested. It really starts with getting your kids in outdoor activities that are not necessarily associated with hunting in particular. Ours related around Motorsport activities like learning to ride a snowmobile, dirt bike, and a ATV then we’d make trips as a family into the woods to ride our machines. Then the hunting and hiking trips kind of evolved from there. My brother was hooked from the start but it took me 2-3 years to really grasp it then i was off and running


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[albow720]

That’s great. We have ATVs that we haven’t rode much lately. I think we will start taking them out and see how that goes.


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[Phaseolus]

I love being outside. Camping, just a day hike, week long hunting trip anything. My family, daughter(14) and son(13) don’t seem to share my interests. I remember being that age and having other things on my mind. What do you do encourage your kids to come along. I don’t want to pressure so much they hate it. Any tips are much appreciated.


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Let them invite a friend to go along on camping trips. That helped us.

 

[mtnrunner260]

Ask them to help plan the trip.
Let them spend time on the google picking a place and what activities
Have them plan some of the menu.
Tell them there will be an appropriate amount of phone time allowed with no guilt from you.
Get A new outdoor toy, small as a new target, pocket knife etc.

 

[albow720]

Ask them to help plan the trip.
Let them spend time on the google picking a place and what activities
Have them plan some of the menu.
Tell them there will be an appropriate amount of phone time allowed with no guilt from you.
Get A new outdoor toy, small as a new target, pocket knife etc.

That’s a great idea. I like the idea of them having some responsibility. Thank you guys for the great responses.


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[netman]

My wife and I got our daughters camping and hiking early in age. By the time they got to your kids age they enjoyed our trips. One thing we did when they were in their teens was to go camping near the ocean or big lake. We always went to the ocean somewhere along the Atlantic or gulf. They loved the beach. We always took our bicycles so we could go anywhere.
Now they are grown up and go camping on their own.
It was tough having a wife and two daughters on their special week during these trips all at the same time. I could not drive right, park, eat or start a fire right during this special week. We laugh about it now.

 

[BFR]

I can relate, been married 52 yrs, haven’t done anything right in the last 45 of those. First year was in Nam, had our first daughter year 7, haven’t done anything right since.

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Pay them..whatever it takes...they'll thank you later...

 

[Marble]

Pretty easy to me. Pack truck, put kids in it, take away phones, or go where there isn't any reception.

Have good snacks.

Have interesting activities planned.

They will still hate you. But love you too.

I have 3 daughters, 2 are killers and love the outdoors. But at any given moment they (including my wife) loose their minds and then I have no idea what to do.

Good luck!!