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Jason Livingston
Keep them contained and entertained while making dinner
2 of 4
Jason Livingston
Keep it ready when nature calls
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Jason Livingston
Have easy snacks and entertainment on hand
4 of 4
Jason Livingston
Quality bug jackets keep it fun
Words and photos by Jason Livingston
My interest in all things dirty and four-wheel drive began at a very young age. It all started with the sighting of a beautiful FJ40 Land Cruiser sitting at the shop where my parent’s vehicle was being repaired. I was absolutely mesmerized by the tan paint job, the white top, the tall, skinny, all-terrain tires. It just looked right! From then on, I dreamt of off-road adventures, waiting for the day that they might become reality.
My son, now four years old, has been no different. He could tell a Jeep from a Land Cruiser by the time he was three and at every moment, he desires to be dirty and adventurous. His interest started with his first off-roading adventure at 17 months old and he has tagged along on almost every one since.
I asked him the other day why he loved off-roading. He told me that he loved when the trucks got stuck on the bumpy trails and when they broke. Then, we would have to fix them. His favourite part though was doing it all with his dad and the other guys! It made him feel special. It made him feel like he was really a part of a team on an adventure. Because of this, he has been eager to learn and to earn his spot in the group. This has made the trips that we go on an incredible opportunity to teach and, in turn, view the world through fresh eyes.
Of course, there are a number of reasons why you might want to leave your young kids behind when you hit the trails. Perhaps taking small children into the wilderness is complicated or intimidating and you just don’t know how to make it work or where to start. Let’s face it, kids tend not to listen to critical safety advice or any advice for that matter. They get bored. They get tired. Then they whine about being bored and tired. Depending on age, they may not be potty trained or perhaps are in the midst of figuring it out. Regardless, combining the rugged outdoors and all of the bugs, heat, rain, poison ivy, and other hazards with parenting small children is a challenge all its own!
If this is you, I would like to share some insights that I have learned from overlanding and off-roading with my son as well as my seven year old daughter.
First, start small. Bring your kids on day runs, whether backroad rambling or mild trails. They will probably get bored at some point, but that can be mitigated with regular stops, easy-to-grab snack baggies, and in-vehicle toys or entertainment. The beauty of a day run is that you can head home when they have reached their limit and progressively work up to longer and longer runs from there. My kids started at half a day before going berserk. Now, they are both comfortable spending the better part of the day in the truck. To be honest, they often fall asleep for large portions of the drive, even on the roughest terrain. If you have a child that needs frequent bathroom stops, a small potty or portable toilet, kept quickly accessible, will allow you to stop when and where necessary.
Second, mitigate against sources of frustration. There are many sources of anxiety and frustration for kids when you travel off the beaten path, but none worse than bugs! One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received was to bring bug jackets for the kids. Now, I am not talking about the cheap ones that let the small stuff through. I mean, proper fitting, high quality bug jackets like those made by The Original Bug Shirt Company. My first multi-day trip was on a May long weekend in Ardbeg, Ontario where the bugs can be intense enough to make you lose your sanity. Bugs and kids don’t mix well and, in that environment, bug spray only adds seasoning to the meat. Without those jackets, we would have been packing up very early into the trip. Instead, the kids were able to play and explore with minimal interference from bug bites.
Third, prepare for hazards. When it comes to hazards, there are many such as rattle snakes (on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario), poison ivy, water, and ticks. A little education goes a long way. It behooves us as parents to understand these hazards ourselves as well as appropriate first aid measures. Then, when you encounter a hazard, such as poison ivy, show the kids. Describe it and explain the hazard and how it can affect them. It takes some repetition, but kids are knowledge sponges. Teaching them how to identify danger and how to respond is far more effective and less time consuming than attempting to shield them from such things.
While they are learning how to identify and respect hazards, it is a great idea to utilize containment zones. This is particularly useful when doing multi-day trips. Let me explain. It can be challenging to monitor the kids and keep them safe, particularly if you are solo with multiple kids and attempting to both set up camp and prep a meal. I have learned to utilize an order of operations that minimizes the variables caused by “free-range” children. I bring a tablet with games or other forms of entertainment that the children can do in their car seats. This will usually give me enough time to set up camp without having to chase them. Then, when they have had some time for supervised exploration, learning, and letting off steam, the tent becomes a zone in which they can play while I make food. The same sort of strategy can be used in the mornings when packing up. It doesn’t take long for the kids to come to know the routine and eventually start helping with parts of the process.
Finally, minimize task complexity. The less time you have to spend on tasks such as food prep, the more time there will be for kid related necessities as well as relaxing. For example, paper plates that can be disposed of in a camp fire will save on cleanup time. Preparing and cooking meals before your trip and sealing them in meal size portions will allow food to last longer and minimize food prep time on the trail. Anything you can do to simplify will help when kids are around.
Do you remember being a kid? Most days, I am happy if I can just remember to wear pants. Watching my seven year old daughter and my four year old son experience the world less travelled has given me fresh perspective though. At those ages, the imagination is as real as reality. If you think kids get excited about the idea of adventures, you will be amazed at how they flourish when they are involved in them!
As we get older, we tend to lose this fresh, adventurous perspective. We stop dreaming in favour of bracing for the realities of life. I will leave you with this thought: Tomorrow’s innovators are today’s children. The best problem solvers and innovators in the world are people who were raised to think outside the box and courageously embrace challenge and adventure. They are people that believe growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional!