Daddy-Daughter Camping Trip

One thing that I have tried very hard at is spending good quality time with my two children and making memories for them. When my son and I started to prepare for his Boy Scout troop going to Philmont we started doing several hikes a week. While we were at Philmont we struck a deal that we would go on an annual father-son outing each year. Most of them would likely be camping/hiking, but they can be anything that we schedule to spend a weekend together doing father-son things. We did well for the first 5 years or so and now we sadly haven’t gone in 4 years, but how’s counting?

I started the same type of thing with my daughter. We had our annual Girl Scout father-daughter dance that we did for 3-4 years, then she grew out of those so thanks to our local Chick-fil-a, they had put on for several years a nice Father/Daughter date night. It was nice and a little more age-appropriate for a teenager. Then after three years, they stopped those, so we started a camping trip. The camping trips dissolved and for 4-5 years we didn’t do anything. I would ask and get turned down, and I get it, I mean what kid wants to hang out with their old parents?

I’m glad to report that this year my daughter (20 years old) and I planned and executed a two-night Father-Daughter camping trip to the local KOA. We had a great time, preparing as well as the actual trip.

When we went to Walmart to get some grocery items, it was like two kids in a candy store, grabbing junk food and fun camping treats. We went fishing, we went for a walk, we tried to go take photos (we are both hobbyist photographers), we went swimming, and did a ton of hanging out and talking around the campfire. I personally had a great time and I hope that she did as well. I hope she and I can continue doing this at least once each year.