[Rick1967]

I didnt know where else to put this.

I did not know my father when I was growing up. So the only childhood memory I have of a father and son type of thing was when my grandfather set up a tent trailer in his back yard. One time when I was about 7 or 8 my mother took my twin sister and I to my grand partents house for the weekend. The women stayed in the house. But my grand father and I spent the night in the tent trailer in the back yard. I am now 45 years old. But it is still a vivid memory. One of very few from my childhood. I still remember the battery powered plastic lantern sitting on the table. I bought a similar lantern when I saw it in the store.

Anyway, I want my son to have memories that I do not. Just about every Saturday night we have a camp out. We have been doing it for the last 6 years. Sometimes we take the camper and go somewhere. Sometimes we just sleep in it in the back yard. We like to sleep under the stars on cots in the back yard when it is warm. But on a cold winter night we often set up camp in the living room. we stay up late watching tv and telling jokes.

Here is a pic of last nights camp. LOL

Do any of you have a regular father and son night like this?

[trip286]

Don't mean to brag, but being a single Dad with temporary full custody for now, and very likely going to be permanent, every waking moment he's not in school is father/son time.

He does miss his Mom, but neither of them have really shown any interest in wanting to see each other. He never asks, nor does she.

[winds-of-change]

Rick, you are a smart man. Those memories will last a lifetime and it is a great way to bond.

I was a single Mom raising two boys and a girl. Their Dad had visitation and really didn't do much more than he had to. Same with money. He paid child support but never a penny extra. When I'd ask for help with special activities he'd tell me, "That's what child support is for." *shrugs*

Anyway, we didn't have much money to take vacations but we did take day trips to museums and such. One of the things we did that the kids liked best was camping in the backyard. I had a cheapy tent I got from WalMart and we'd set it up and sleep in the backyard. I'd tell them "spooky stories" and we'd burn a fire in the burn pile and have hot dogs and s'mores. I didn't know much about camping but we had a great time.

There was a lot of things we could do with little or no money. We'd go fishing, walking through the woods, sledding, flying kites. Another favorite was tying a string to a cheap $3.00 toy boat meant to be used in a bathtub and stand downwind at a pond and let the wind blow the plastic boat waaaay out on the pond. Then the kids would reel it in.

Truly, "Life's simple pleasures are the best."

[TLuker]

There's nothing more important than family, and of course spending time with them. Many of us get so caught up in money and material things that we loose sight of that. The only material things that matter are food, shelter, and clothing. If we have those necessities and family then we are blessed.

[HockaLouis]

"Just about every Saturday night..." Where's Mrs. 1967 during all this!? That kid may end up going from the cot right to the psychologist's couch.

"And how did that make you feel Rick Junior"?

I'm just sayin'.

[rurak]

Wow man way to fart all over his parade. I think thats great that you have father son time every weekend. Very important.

[winds-of-change]

Originally Posted by HockaLouis

"Just about every Saturday night..." Where's Mrs. 1967 during all this!? That kid may end up going from the cot right to the psychologist's couch.

"And how did that make you feel Rick Junior"?

I'm just sayin'.

The Mrs. was probably in the house, painting her fingernails, watching some chick flick and happy to have some time to herself.

[kfox75]

Rick, Trip, and WOC, thank you for sharing.

My step daughter's father has always put her on the back burner as far as time together goes. That is why I make time to spend it with her, doing something we both enjoy. One of our best memories so far was a turkey hunt we went on last month. It was nice to have her all to myself for the day, and it was a lot of fun. We didn't get a bird on that hunt, but the look on her face when I called on in just after legal shooting light said it all.

She turns 16 in February, and I know that we are down to the last of our time together. Pretty soon comes graduation, jobs, life in general. Her mother and I try to make the best of the time we have left with her here, and we hope that she will do the same when she has children of her own, and that she will remeber these memories long after we are gone.

I still, 8 years after her passing, miss my mother, and I still miss the hunting trips of my teens with my dad (he quit when he had a car deer accident, and had to watch the deer die slow. I don't blame him). That is why I spend time with her now. I hope she can look back 20 years from now, and still remember the memories fondly. If I'm still around, I know I will.

[Jpyle]

Rick...that's some great stuff there and I'm sure your son will remember it fondly for the rest of his life. One of the most rewarding things to me as a father is having my daughters, now 24 and 21, reminisce about all the crazy and silly times we spent together when they were younger.