We are planning to go to campmeeting tomorrow and stay for the entire week with our twelve year old son and fourteen year old daughter. Both kids are upset because they went to youth camp this past week. Really, that is an excuse because it would not matter what week of the year we would have went to campmeeting. They just don't want to go. I know they are tired and would like to be home, but I more upset with my daughter's behavior than her not wanting to go to campmeeting this week.

My daughter has been arguing with me on and off for the past six hours. She does not want to go. She wants to be allowed to stay home. She doesn't want to be in church services three times a day. She "doesn't want to stay in a tent like hoboes". I'm sorry. We had reservations to stay in a hotel because we don't own a camper and are unable to borrow one. Well for various reasons, most reasons involving my teen and adult children, we spent that money we tried to have for our hotel fees. So, now, my husband and I still want to go. We borrowed a tent, a nice tent at that, and we will camp next to a camper that a family from church will be staying in. They have graciously offered to let us go in and out of their camper, use electric, even sleeping in the other bunk, or whatever. The campgrounds has shower and toilet facilities. We will be using a tent air conditioner if it's too warm at night, and we will be sleeping on nice air mattresses. We can actually go to bed earlier and sleep later by staying on the campgrounds.

We did offer to have the kids stay with my parents overnight and my mother would drop them off at home each day before she went to work. They didn't want to do that. So we offered the other grandparents and they didn't want to do that either. They just want to be left home alone. We do let them stay home during the day if need be. We are not willing to let them stay home for an entire week, or even overnight alone.

My husband and I want this week to focus on the Lord. We want our children to experience this as well. They may not want to be there, but they'll have memories. Hopefully they'll absorb some of the message. Hopefully they'll be stirred, a desire created in them for the Lord. Then again, it isn't really about them. It's about my husband and I and our desires to draw closer to the Lord.

I'm angry with my daughter, and concerned that she and her brother will battle us all week.

Lay down the law. You don't have to let your daughter argue with you or try to make you feel guilty without there being consequences for her. When she's an adult, she can make her own decisions. 14 is a tough age. I don't have any that age, but I did teach middle school for a few years, so I know how hard it can be to keep them from trying to argue with you at every turn.

I agree with Jesseswife - do not allow them to get out of the camp.

Satan hates ist when we get closer to our families, 'cause it complicated his work in destroying relationships.

Enjoy the camp!

Anton

I agree with Jesseswife - do not allow them to get out of the camp.

Satan hates ist when we get closer to our families, 'cause it complicated his work in destroying relationships.

Enjoy the camp!

Anton


I third that!!! Be firm!

God bless and have a great time in the Lord, whether they want to or not!:hug:

I will be the contrarian.

Do we really think that the way to teach children to love God is to force them to attend a series of meetings designed for adults?

If they were at youth camp all week last week, it sounds quite normal for me for them to want to be at their own home for a week to rest since school is getting ready to start.

Maybe Mom and Dad could stay home and be together as a family?

I know the amount of resentment I carried against my parents and the church for years over similar issues.

If this is really about you and your husband, then exactly how do you think you will be able to focus on the Lord in the midst of such strife in your family?

I don't think God ever leads us into strife.

We are planning to go to campmeeting tomorrow and stay for the entire week with our twelve year old son and fourteen year old daughter. Both kids are upset because they went to youth camp this past week. Really, that is an excuse because it would not matter what week of the year we would have went to campmeeting. They just don't want to go. I know they are tired and would like to be home, but I more upset with my daughter's behavior than her not wanting to go to campmeeting this week.

My daughter has been arguing with me on and off for the past six hours. She does not want to go. She wants to be allowed to stay home. She doesn't want to be in church services three times a day. She "doesn't want to stay in a tent like hoboes". I'm sorry. We had reservations to stay in a hotel because we don't own a camper and are unable to borrow one. Well for various reasons, most reasons involving my teen and adult children, we spent that money we tried to have for our hotel fees. So, now, my husband and I still want to go. We borrowed a tent, a nice tent at that, and we will camp next to a camper that a family from church will be staying in. They have graciously offered to let us go in and out of their camper, use electric, even sleeping in the other bunk, or whatever. The campgrounds has shower and toilet facilities. We will be using a tent air conditioner if it's too warm at night, and we will be sleeping on nice air mattresses. We can actually go to bed earlier and sleep later by staying on the campgrounds.

We did offer to have the kids stay with my parents overnight and my mother would drop them off at home each day before she went to work. They didn't want to do that. So we offered the other grandparents and they didn't want to do that either. They just want to be left home alone. We do let them stay home during the day if need be. We are not willing to let them stay home for an entire week, or even overnight alone.

My husband and I want this week to focus on the Lord. We want our children to experience this as well. They may not want to be there, but they'll have memories. Hopefully they'll absorb some of the message. Hopefully they'll be stirred, a desire created in them for the Lord. Then again, it isn't really about them. It's about my husband and I and our desires to draw closer to the Lord.

I'm angry with my daughter, and concerned that she and her brother will battle us all week.


I am kind of mixed on this. I grew up in the Church of God. We had camp meeting, revival, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. all the time. I was forced to go to so many church things that I resented it. I loved the Lord, but I did not like being drug to Church all the time. Sometimes, we spend so much time focusing on God that we let our families suffer.

Praise the Lord. We made it through this week of campmeeting and did so victoriously! My daughter who fought so hard to stay home, actually responded to much of the preaching. She listened to the sermons and prayed in the services. She responded to the move of the Holy Ghost. She even made friends. Something I can't let her do at home is to hang out all night. Well at campmeeting, I was able to let her hang out with the youth until a set time and she enjoyed that freedom. The time started out being midnight, but by the last night was 1:30. I was up till she was in the tent at night. I, along with other adults frequently checked on our youth. They were not completely unsupervised. On the way home Friday, when I asked if there were any regrets, she said "No." There was a peace in that "no."

My son did pretty good, but he did say a few times he wanted to go home. He wasn't miserable, but he was lonely. I wish he could have made a friend, but there just wasn't anyone there his age. Perhaps next year I will be able to allow him to take a friend. He did pray some, not much but a couple of times. Certainly great that at his age and maturity that he wanted to pray at all.

This has been a blessed week and we are happy that we went, even dragging the kids along. There is VBS scheduled for this week, and we gave the kids a choice. They chose to stay home. We are fine with that. They are getting too old to participate, not quite ready to help out. They have been involved in church functions for 2 weeks straight. School will be starting soon and they can lay around for the rest of their time off as far as I'm concerned.