Originally Posted by
evergrn
I like outdoor stuff and I try to get my family into it. But they're not keen, except we all love the beach. I myself have been to most of the national parks in the West, and I've taken my family to some of them but they don't get excited. When we go to Canadian Rockies, they just want to spend all the time at the Fairmont (which is unbelievably expensive up there btw). I've lived in many places in the US including up and down CA. I've taken my family to various places domestically. But at the end of the day, they're really just into beach, Japanese things, and lounging at nice hotels (plus my kids like amusement parks of course). They don't like long road trips. So domestically (inc Canada), we've evolved into now just doing Hawaii, LA and Vancouver/Whistler over and over. They love going to Jpn and would go there every month if they could.
Hmm, biting tongue as much as possible.
It takes patience and time to teach kids to appreciate any kind of experience. You've taught them to enjoy $$$$ hotels (I've been in the Banff Fairmont) and Japan. If you want them to appreciate the great outdoors, invest the time in teaching them about it, and I don't mean 20 minutes in the visitor center and then back to the hotel. Advance research
by them, guided educational experiences, hands-on learning - same thing you'd do to teach them about anything new/alien/different.
And one parent to another, maybe re-read what you've written about your kids and think ahead 20 years.