Camping with the family is a fun experience because you will truly cherish it forever but camping with your daughter is another story. 
True to its old saying that “Having a child doesn’t make you a father, raising the child does.”
It is tough but very rewarding!
As the head of the family, you are responsible in providing not only their material needs but most especially love, care and protection.
You need to work very hard to send them to a good school, to buy all their needs, and to ensure they will eat 3-4 times a day to avoid an empty stomach.
You will give everything just to make them secured and happy even to the point you might be compromising the time and attention you need to give – something that is not good.
Finding the right balance between work and personal life is really difficult. A daddy is always busy. We are always busy.
But there are some things I promised not to allow when I became a dad were not witnessing her grow, not to being present in her special occasions, and not getting a chance to bond with her despite of having a busy schedule.
I will always ensure that I will be with her during recognition/graduation day, throw support during her school competition or any event, and be at her side during failures and successes.
She is my princess, travel buddy and partner in adventure.
We travelled a lot even when she was a baby. One of my most memorable experience travelling with her was the ‘Me and my Dad Camp’.
It was one of the church’s activities that helps all daddies to bond with their child/children.
And when her mom told me to join the camp, I did not hesitate to say “yes”.
Camping in Clark, Pampanga
The camping event was held in ClearWater Resorts and Country Club in Clark, Pampanga.
It is a two-hour drive from Manila. You have to take the faster route which is via North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and exit at Clark-South to avoid the heavy traffic in the service road (McArthur Highway). You can use Waze or Google Maps for navigation.
It was fulfilling because I got the chance to play with my daughter, cook her breakfast, lunch and dinner (which I rarely do because of tight schedule. Sigh!), camp in a remote yet relaxing place and join in a church activity together!
Fatherhood is the most wonderful thing happened in my life and I will always be grateful for this amazing experience.
Happy father’s day!
What to bring for camping:
- Tent. The capacity depends on the headcount that will occupy the tent but make sure it is water-proof so you will not have a problem when it rains.
- Sleeping mattress. Choose which is comfortable to bring and can give you a good sleep. Better if it is insulated to keep your body warm and protect you from cold weather.
- Location. Pitch your tent where there is good ventilation and should be a bit elevated so that when it rains, the water will not stay where your tent is pitched.
- Portable chair. This will help you sit anywhere you want without putting dirt on your clothes.
- Flashlight and/or rechargeable LED light.
- Fully charged (and rechargeable) electric fan. This is add more ventilation inside your tent especially during summer or if humidity is too high in the camp site.
- Emergency thermal blanket. This is cover your body when it rains to keep you warm and avoid falling body temperature.
You may bring water and food (including portable stove and utensils) if they are not provided by the organizer. Better check it first before joining the camp.
You need to check also the appropriate slippers and footwear to wear as it depends on the condition of the camp site.
Always keep it handy. You will be the one to carry them before, during and after the camping.
For more camping tips, you may check this website.
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Great post 🙂
Thank you. I appreciate it.