A Small Camping Adventure by the Lake (With Two Little Boys)

Our family started camping when our second child was about one year old. We didn’t go very often—maybe once in spring and once in summer—but somehow, it’s already been three years. We’re still not very good at setting up the tent and getting everything ready for sleeping, but more than anything, our first child absolutely loves it. Last winter, he even counted down the days until spring would come.

Easter break finally arrived, but after a brief warm spell in March, the weather turned cold again and we all came down with a virus. As a result, we had to postpone our early April camping trip by a week. We ended up booking a two-night, three-day trip from Friday, April 10 to Sunday, April 12.

We originally wanted to go back to Langlau campground, which has an indoor playroom our first child loves, but they now require a minimum stay of four nights. So we searched for another place and found a campsite about 35 minutes away. Looking at the map, we reserved a spot right behind the restroom building, facing the lake. Since it was a nearby campsite we had never visited before, it felt like a small adventure worth trying.

On Friday morning, I finished some work, packed everything as quickly as I could, and went to pick up the kids. We had to stop by home because I forgot something, and then had to make one more stop at the kindergarten because our first child had left something there too. Only after that did we finally head to the campsite.

By the time we arrived—after a 35-minute drive—it was already 4 p.m. The kids were starting to get hungry, so I laid out some bread and boiled eggs on a picnic mat while I focused on setting up the tent. I took my time and did it slowly. The view of the lake was absolutely beautiful. There was a slight smell of manure in the air, but I didn’t mind—it felt like part of nature. There were so many birds flying around the lake, especially swans. Over the two nights, we got to watch them flap their wings as much as we wanted. Later, we found out the lake is actually part of a nature reserve.

On the first day, setting up the tent and getting everything ready is always exhausting, so there’s no energy left to cook dinner. We just ate the bread we had brought, spent some time at the campground playground, and went to sleep. Even in the middle of the night, the chatter of the birds never seemed to stop.

The next morning, I woke up at 6:30. When I opened the tent, the sky was glowing orange with the upcoming sunrise. It had been so long since I last saw a sunrise. For breakfast, we finally made the ham fried rice we couldn’t cook the night before. After eating, we went back to the playground again.

Our second child quickly got bored of this routine and said he wanted to go home. I had heard there were nice walking trails nearby, but he’s still too young for that kind of outing. Also, I had forgotten to bring toothpaste, so we needed to go out anyway to buy some. Brushing without toothpaste felt terrible.

We stopped by a supermarket and then went to a spacious kebab place that also sold pizza. We ordered pizza, chicken nuggets, fries, and a kebab box. It felt like a rare treat to eat out. But for my husband, dining out with the kids still seems quite stressful. Even though he’s used to it by now, his sharp tone upset both the kids and me. Unlike me, though, the kids seemed to forget about it quickly. I just wish he could stay in a good mood more often so we could all laugh and enjoy our time together. Discipline is one thing, but I don’t think it’s necessary to ruin the atmosphere—and that’s something we often don’t see eye to eye on.

The campground has a quiet time from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., during which cars are not allowed to move. So we had to spend that time outside. Luckily, there’s another large lake nearby called Rodsee. We went there to explore—it has a park where people can swim in the summer and a pirate ship–shaped sand playground right in front of it. It was a beautiful weekend day, but surprisingly not crowded at all. I imagine it won’t be this quiet in summer, but it’s definitely a place we’d like to visit again.

Our second child, who had been cranky and bored, ended up falling asleep in the car—probably because he didn’t sleep well the night before due to the cold. So we didn’t even get to see the sand playground.

Back at the campsite, we spent time at the playground again before and after dinner, and then welcomed our second night. The kids have grown a bit now, and bedtime tends to be later, so we were able to look up at the dark night sky together and see the stars. They said “Wow” for a moment, but didn’t stay interested for long. I ended up enjoying the moment by myself. Maybe that’s just part of being a mom of two boys—there’s no one to fully share that quiet feeling with.

With each camping trip, we’re becoming a little more experienced. Still, camping with two young kids is never easy. My husband isn’t always very proactive, so I either absorb his frustration or end up doing everything myself—setting up the tent, putting up the tarp, and so on. Even so, I keep pushing forward with camping because I have a bigger dream: when the kids are older, I want us to travel around Germany and Europe during the summer holidays, combining sightseeing with camping to save on accommodation costs.

Sometimes I wonder if that dream will really be possible as I get older. But even this process of building experience feels like it’s becoming a meaningful memory for the kids. On Sunday morning, our first child kept saying he didn’t want to pack up the tent and leave. He even asked if we could come back next week, and when I suggested May, he insisted on May 1st. It looks like we’ll definitely be back in May. Hopefully, by then, we’ll be a bit more used to it and less exhausted.

To be honest, even this time, as soon as we got home, I had lunch and then completely passed out on the couch.