What does it look like to keep doing big adventures with your family after you have kids? What is the secret to success? What is “normal” in outdoor parenting?
I think many people wonder what other families do, either because they feel it’s impossible and don’t know where to start or because they feel inadequate with how much they are doing. There is so much data out there about what is “normal” in other parts of parenting: sleep, learning, etc, but not much for outdoor adventuring.
I have been doing interviews for a few years, but those are just snapshots of single families. A few months ago a member of the Backpacking with Babies and Kids Facebook group suggested the idea of collecting enough data on outdoor parents that we could do an analysis. The idea has been percolating in my brain for a while and I realized that there are so many questions that could be answered, such as how often do most families get out on big trips, what compromises do most families make to get out frequently, and do families typically do the same things after kids or do they adjust and change with the kids.
I’m excited to share the survey I put together! I would appreciate it if you could fill it out, share it with friends, share it with anyone you know who tries to get out on adventures with their family, and ask them to share it.
I will keep the survey open for at least a month, and then longer if I haven’t gotten at least 30 responses by then. Then I’ll analyze the data and publish the results, and hopefully it will help families see what the spectrum of “normal” outdoor families is and what people do to be successful in getting out on adventures!
