[myboynoah]

Originally Posted by K-dog

I was thinking last night, looking at my infant son, that the day is not far distant when he will want to go camping. He will want to sleep out in the woods with the animals and the bugs, on a bed made of rocks and roots, in a sleeping bag that is always too hot or too cold. He will be excited to eat a poorly cooked dinner over an open campfire made of meat that has been in the danger zone too long and some type of burnt starch. He will wander around in the Utah mountains with others his own age who are equally senseless with regards to reasonable safety. If you haven't guessed it, I hate camping. I don't fish, I don't hunt, I don't hike, I don't cross country ski, I don't rock climb, I don't "boulder." I don't do any of these things because I find them boring, tedious, and uncomfortable. Now we come to my problem. I don't want to ruin any of these things for my son if he likes them. Invariably, I expect that will lead me to many of these, imo, useless and lame activities and I will have to portray a neutral countenance to prevent my dislike from tainting my son's opinions. Are there other dads out there who have faced this challenge and succeeded? Did you camp with your son? Did you find a way to enjoy it?

OK, if calling you a pussy isn't motivation enough, think about the other boys calling your boy a pussy. You want your kid out there bonding with the others, eating dirt in his food, burning himself, freezing his peter off, and farting in the tent. I've found 11-year-old campouts to be fun and rewarding, to get to see my son interact with the others and realize he's going to be okay.

One suggestion: bring your own tent and let the boys sleep together in one big one; you'll sleep better.