Raising Kids...the Overlanding Way!

[Hltoppr]

I had a discussion with a few folks at the last ET, regarding how our kids are growing up overlanding....

....fridges, roof top/OZ tents, solar panels....

Felt this Land Rover Discovery advert was appropriate! I'm sure lots of ya'll have seen it before....but found it fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLyb9CCWQog

-H- :elkgrin:

 

[James86004]

This ad is the same general idea:

 

[xcmountain80]

Nice. I had this discussion with my brother (21) and he was explaining a typical weekend in a similar dialog to the little girl in the video.

Aaron

 

[gjackson]

That is too funny! I'm assuming it's a South African add from the accent.

cheers

 

[6Pins]

I had the same thing last night. I came home from work and my 9 year old was sitting at the table, eating dinner, absolutely glued to the new Land Rover Enthusiast. I didn't even get a "Hi Dad", just a grunt.

 

[Jacket]

My daughter (1st grade) has to do a "Family Presentation" to her class. There are four categories:

1. Family Tree
2. Family Jobs
3. Family Traditions
4. Family Recreation

We were planning out the project last night, and I asked her what she thought were important family recreation things we did. Her first response, without hesitation, was "camping and four wheel drive trips."

Making her papa proud....

 

[jim65wagon]

"Can we go back again next weekend?"

That's just about the first thing out of our kids mouths before we even get to the freeway heading for home; or before we even get the boat to the ramp if we've been on the river fishing. I'm really glad they enjoy camping and fishing, it makes life so much easier if everyone in the family wants to go to the woods, or hit the river...

 

[dhackney]

I don't know if you guys have seen any of these interviews of full-time overlanders I've done http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17823

Many of these are familes traveling with kids aged from 2 to teens.

Just like kids growing up on sailboats, the overlanding kids are independent, confident, have highly developed problem solving skills, are multi-lingual and are generally very mature for thier ages.

One French family in particular, Guy Jellvet's, had kids that were the most creative in play, best behaved and most responsible of any kids I've seen in a very, very long time.

I was highly impressed with Guy's kids and told him and his wife that repeatedly.

One difference you notice between full-time overlander's children and run-of-the-mill American / European kids is that overlander's kids spend many hours a day in free-form, unsupervised, creative play.

One day, we watched a couple of overlanding kids spend the entire day, eight hours, playing with a few sticks, some flowers, some grass and a couple of toy trucks. They made up an endless series of ever-changing worlds, rules and scenarios and never once bickered, fought, cried or sought out a parent.

Overlanding kids stand in stark contrast to the no-unsupervised/non-uniformed-play, not-an-unscheduled-minute child of the typical hovering, helicopter parent.

If our world has a hope for the future, it probably lies with the sailboating/crusing and overlanding kids.

Doug

 

[kjp1969]

I don't know if you guys have seen any of these interviews of full-time overlanders I've done http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17823

Many of these are familes traveling with kids aged from 2 to teens.

Just like kids growing up on sailboats, the overlanding kids are independent, confident, have highly developed problem solving skills, are multi-lingual and are generally very mature for thier ages.

One French family in particular, Guy Jellvet's, had kids that were the most creative in play, best behaved and most responsible of any kids I've seen in a very, very long time.

I was highly impressed with Guy's kids and told him and his wife that repeatedly.

One difference you notice between full-time overlander's children and run-of-the-mill American / European kids is that overlander's kids spend many hours a day in free-form, unsupervised, creative play.

One day, we watched a couple of overlanding kids spend the entire day, eight hours, playing with a few sticks, some flowers, some grass and a couple of toy trucks. They made up an endless series of ever-changing worlds, rules and scenarios and never once bickered, fought, cried or sought out a parent.

Overlanding kids stand in stark contrast to the no-unsupervised/non-uniformed-play, not-an-unscheduled-minute child of the typical hovering, helicopter parent.

If our world has a hope for the future, it probably lies with the sailboating/crusing and overlanding kids.

Doug

Sounds like you're describing my kids! If one of them has a friend over for an afternoon, they literally and figuratively disappear into a world of imagination- we just don't see them for hours at a time, but we hear snippets of a pre-school for dolls or some such scene.

While I love introducing my kids to nature, the outdoors, and generally breaking them out of their pre-packaged routine for a weekend, I wonder if totally removing them from normal society, on a sailboat or whatever, would be doing them any real favors. So much of a kid's development has to do with socialization with others, and that can be stunted if a kid is seperated from other kids, isn't allowed to make long term friendships, etc.

I think the key is all in the balance- isolation or immersion one way or the other can create problems. I'm happy to let my kids enjoy pop culture and the trappings of a mainstream life, so long as they're reminded that there is the rest of the world out there too.

 

[DiploStrat]

Overland/Expat Kids

Be happy to discuss this by e-mail should anyone be interested. Was raised this way and raised two kids this way.

Simply put, there are LOTS of issues to consider. (Easy for kids below 10, death on teens, and advantages often don't show until after age 30.)

This is a fairly esoteric subject, but there is starting to be a bit of literature available - much written by "Third Culture" kids themselves.

 

[FourByLand]

Overlanding Babes

 

[Pskhaat]

...I wonder if totally removing them from normal society, on a sailboat or whatever, would be doing them any real favors. So much of a kid's development has to do with socialization with others...I think the key is all in the balance

Though I think "normal society" is a subjective matter, I very much agree with your "balance" statement. I find myself often torn on raising my own three children.

There is great joy in watching my children on our domestic overlanding trips and how well adapted they are to nature; how they have what I consider to be more important concepts before the age of 5 than most other like-aged children.

There is also great joy watching my oldest lead a pack of screaming suburban neighborhood kids in an imaginary hunting game in a social situation that he would not otherwise have.

...best behaved...

Sometimes that is more nature than nurture. I've learned that as in Yinyang, bad behavior also accompanies intelligence and creativity.

 

[RoundOut]

My daughter (1st grade) has to do a "Family Presentation" to her class. There are four categories:

1. Family Tree
2. Family Jobs
3. Family Traditions
4. Family Recreation

We were planning out the project last night, and I asked her what she thought were important family recreation things we did. Her first response, without hesitation, was "camping and four wheel drive trips."

Making her papa proud....

You have raised her well! That is AWESOME, Matt.

.