No matter what shape your family takes, whether that be nuclear, single-parent, grandparents raising grandkids, or any other possible combination; we all agree that family is one of the most important things in life. A survey found that when most people were asked what a successful life looked like, they answered with having a family. If you are a follower of our blog or a first time reader, most likely you agree with that sentiment. The love we experience within our family can be the most fulfilling and deepest love we ever feel. It’s why we are called “Trail Family.”
Since family is so important, we love to give our children what is best. You don’t have to have tons of fancy, expensive gear. You can buy store brand granola bars instead of the big name brands. Those are not what constitutes the “best” for children. What children truly need it time well spent with the adults in their lives who love them the most.
Our goal for our children when they are grown is for them to look back and have a treasure trove of wonderful family memories. We want to hear them reminisce about being together and having adventures. They won’t remember most of the “stuff” that facilities our TRAIL FAMILY lifestyle. They will recall how much we all enjoyed each other as we hiked, biked, and walked the trails.
Cultivating the TRAIL FAMILY lifestyle is a means to that end. We utilize the trails because we enjoy the outdoors, fresh air and physical activity is good for all of us, and it gives us a time and place to build family relationships through shared experiences.
There have been a few times that we wanted pictures for the blog or video for the YouTube channel when things were not going well. Maybe someone was not having a fun time, a kids crashed their bike, or they couldn’t remember their lines for the video. It was tempting to get upset in these circumstances.
Fortunately, we as parents remembered that family relationship comes first, trail agenda comes second. If something has to give for the experience to be one of family bonding and growth, then trail things give way to family things.
I thought that this would be a good opportunity to share a few of our other family interests with you. Like your family, we have lots of things we are passionate about. We all love board games and card games. Tim loves cooking and grilling. Shannon enjoys knitting and crocheting. The girls are learning to sew and love going swimming. Our little trail buddy Clavin is only 2 ½, so his likes include blocks and snack time.
We love our trails and the opportunities they give us to become stronger as a family. We do lots of other things together too. How has cultivating a TRAIL FAMILY lifestyle contributed to positive growth in your family? What other things do you enjoy together? Let us know in the comments. We would love to get to know our TRAIL FAMILY community.
“The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.”
G.K. Chesterton
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