There comes a moment on every wilderness family trip, and if you are lucky you see it happen instead of hurrying past it, when a child forgets entirely to ask what comes next. Not because there is nothing to do, but because there is TOO much to do.

By the time we reached camp on that first evening, I realized something- the only thing my boys had asked me for all day was food or water. Not “Mama, where’s my nerf gun” or “Where’s this toy” or “Can I get a new lego set for my birthday.”

They had spent the last few hours wandering up the creek, hopping from rock to rock, building tiny dams, watching sticks go down the “rapids”, collecting sticks that then turned into baseball bats and guns, jumping off a log into the water and throwing rocks just to hear the “ker plunk” sound that it made. Somewhere between leaving the intensely hot trailhead where we wrestled with sunscreen and argued about what shoes to wear, and arriving at a beautiful wild camp- the frantic energy had simply disappeared. And so had ours. In fact, it disappeared as soon as we entered the forest and starting walking along the cool creek.

It got me wondering if parents have been getting it all wrong.

Many parents spend so much time trying to entertain their kids. They sign them up for activities, bring them to the pool, buy another toy, or hand them a screen because, in the moment, it feels easier. And sometimes, honestly it is easier, or at least if FEELS that way. I fall into the trap as well, especially when I get the text from my neighborhood moms saying “we are signing up our kids for this and this and this.” But after many years of focusing on experiences over stuff, and not jumping to sign them up for activities and camps, I have learned that – less is always more.

Things and constant stimulants wear off. The remote control cars break after the fifth drive, the nerf guns end up in a bin somewhere, as do the hot wheels and dismantled lego sets. But the wilderness? It never wears out and it can’t ever be put into a bin.

Nature doesn’t entertain our kids. It invites them to become explorers again and if you spend enough time in it, they become who they really are meant to be.

I see it happen with my boys all the time when we are out but I have never been able to describe the moment. But this last trip, I saw it happen to Max , and both Jason and I were ripe and ready to witness it and help coax him along.

Max is usually the one who isn’t eager to hike on a trail for very long. He’s more likely to ask, “How much farther?” than, “Can we keep going?” Something about the curated, never ending trail is boring to him. But, give him a bushwacking mission and a – “I wonder what is up over that hill, or what if we just go see what is up around that bend in the creek?” – and he is all over it.

After we’d reached camp on the second night, he asked if he could head farther up the creek to explore. Jason and I looked at each other and said “YES, lets go!” Nearly an hour later, we came back soaking wet, smiling from ear to ear, scratched up from climbing up and down the sides of the creek with stories about new confluences, deep, frothy swimming holes and whole downed trees that made it both thrilling and scary to cross over to the other side.

Later that same day, he headed off again—this time bushwhacking up a steep hillside with Jason just to see if they could find an old road. Max had asked Jason if he would dunk again and Jason replied with a “only if you go up there and see if we can find an old road that’s on the map.” Jason fully expected him to say no way, but instead he shrugged his shoulders and said “Sure, lets go.”

When they got back, Jason was grinning. “The whole way,” he said, “Max just kept saying, ‘This is so fun.’ Even when it got so steep he was sliding back!”

No one had planned an activity. No one had entertained him. The creek and his curiosity had.

That’s the gift the outdoors gives our children. They stop looking to us for the next thing to do because the world around them is already asking questions.

Will these sticks make a dam? Where does this creek go? What’s under this rock? Can I make it across without getting wet? What’s up and over that hill? Will this stick boat make it down the rapid with out getting stuck in that eddy? Their imagination takes over, and with it comes confidence, curiosity, resilience, and joy.

And the most beautiful thing? It doesn’t require some epic expedition.

Some of our favorite adventures have started just 40 minutes from home. A five-mile trail might feel short to an adult, but to a child it can become two nights of magic. Every bend is a discovery. Every camp is a new home for the night. Every creek crossing becomes an adventure. Every off trail mission opens up a world of possibilities.

You don’t have to travel far to feel wild. And while the kids are busy building forts, skipping rocks, and chasing sticks down the creek, something quietly happens to us, too.

We slow down, we stop checking the time, we notice birdsong instead of notifications and we breathe a little deeper.

I call these kinds of trips- forest bathing. It takes patience and a whole lot of snacks, but if you change your perspective and stop hurrying, it becomes a beautiful and meditative time with the forest and with your kids. Before every kids outdoor wilderness trip that we do, I do a full self vibe check and remind myself of the goal: To spend quality uninterrupted time with my kids and to bathe in the forest. Every single time it helps so much and gets me into the best mood and on the train to recovery and relaxation.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. “That sounds a little crazy and also amazing… but I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

I get it.

Backpacking, bikepacking, or even taking your family on an overnight adventure can feel intimidating. What gear do you need? How far can your kids actually hike? What if it rains? What if someone gets tired?

Jason and I have been asking—and answering—those same questions for years. We’ve been taking our boys on kid-curated adventures since they were babies, learning through plenty of trial and error. Along the way we’ve discovered what works, what doesn’t, and how to make these trips feel exciting instead of overwhelming.

If reading this sparks even the smallest desire to get your family outside, we’d love to help.

At Endurance Mama, our goal isn’t to convince every family to backpack fifty miles into the wilderness. It’s simply to help families discover the joy of getting into the wilderness together. Notice how I didn’t say “outside.” Anyone can go to a campground, or an outdoor festival and be outside. And while it is awesome, it’s not the same. Learning how to eat what you have, make camp out in the middle of the woods and carry everything on you is a very different feeling of both accomplishment and peace.

Whether you need advice, help planning your first overnight trip or would like us to guide your family on an adventure, we’re here for you. We have the tools, the gear, and the experience to help you build confidence in the outdoors—one trip at a time.

Because once your kids discover the magic of a creek, a handful of rocks, and a few good sticks, you might be surprised by what they ask for next.

It probably won’t be another toy… it will be another adventure with you.