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Entertainment Topics
Hidden Benefits of Family Camping
Conversation Under the Stars
With the absence of electricity, which means no TV or sound systems when we're camping, we have few options for entertainment. About all that's left is . . . talk.
For some parents, the thought of having a normal conversation with their kids is intimidating. At a campsite, as the firelight reflects on the everyone's faces and the expansive calmness of the outdoors settles in, parents may find silence to be excruciating when they want to reach out to their kids.
So how can you solve the dialogue dilemma? Here are some ideas:
- Start with "chit-chat." In our family, we like to recall favorite movie lines like, "Does your dog bite?" from the Pink Panther series. Another all time favorite is from What About Bob. "Baby steps to 4 o'clock!" These quips can jump-start a conversation any day.
- Ask each other questions. "What was the happiest day of your life?" "What was the saddest day?"
- Tell about the day each child was born. What was happening in the hospital, in the family, or in the nation at that time in history.
- Review family memoires. Start with a certain point in time and work your way forward, telling true stories about things that happened along the way. This can be a great bonding time for families.
Steve Chapman
Adapted from A Look at Life From God's Great Outdoors, copyright © 1999 by Steve Chapman. Used by permission of Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Ore. All rights reserved.
Steve Chapman and his wife, Annie, are award-winning musicians who have taken their message of Christ-centered family to fans all over North America. Steve proclaims his enthusiasm for the gospel, for family and for hunting in A Look at Life From a Deer Stand (more than 100,000 copies sold), Reel Time with God, What a Hunter Brings Home and With God on a Deer Hunt. To read more about Steve and Annie's ministries, visit their Web site at www.steveandanniechapman.com.
Do you have thoughts, questions, advice on this topic? Post your stories and comments in the forum for other parents to respond to. Enter the forum now.
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