Three Nights in a Tent in the Middle of October...?

Graphic courtesy of Wordle.

 

For weeks now, my two kids (age 10 and 13) and their friend from round the corner have been planning their first camp - on their own. To start with, it was hugely ambitious: three nights in a tent in the middle of an autumnal October. Nevertheless, their enthusiasm was infectious: notes, lists, texts and endless discussions between them demonstrated their commitment to this adventure.

Naturally, parents were consulted and had to provide the necessary cautionary advice.

Finally, the day has come, bags have been packed and the intrepid, over-excited trio have launched out on their endeavour - an over-night stay in the caravan in the back garden of the friend-round-the-corner's house.

I hear you laugh and I, too, have laughed - with a laughter gained from the pleasure of observing their accomplishments, their shared enthusiasm, their planning and the ultimate prize: they did it themselves.

I learned much from my observations:

Motivation is a powerful thing. Motivation drove my kids and their friend to work meticulously in planning and organising their trip. They did things of their own volition (such as getting equipment ready and packing bags) that require a superhuman effort on other occasions such as getting ready for a normal school day.

Teamwork overcomes personality differences. My two kids get on pretty well with each other but their are always differences of opinion - naturally. Somehow, these didn't seem to matter, or even surface, on this occasion. The goal was too important, the stakes too high, to let personalities interfere.

A changed plan is still a good plan. Albeit worthy, the original plan was ambitious. Over time, and with adult consultation, the kids realised that their plans needed some rationalisation, but it didn't change the intention or the purpose - or dampen their enthusiasm. The goal remained secure.

Children need validation. If we, as parents, had poo-pooed their ideas, the project would never have got off the ground and the kids may never have attempted anything quite like it again. It was really important that we encouraged their ideas, even the outlandish and unrealistic ones - 'three nights in a tent... in OCTOBER...?' What actually happened, almost by default, is that the children worked out or found out for themselves what worked and what didn't work and rationalised their plans themselves - with a little consultation from others (us adults) with more experience. Our kids were not disappointed - they just saw the rationale and made sense of it for themselves.

As I write, they are living their adventure and, tomorrow evening, we will hear a full recount - and probably learn a good deal more.

If you have learned similar lessons from your own child/ren's adventures, please leave a comment...