Are teen boys still taught how to start a camp fire?

[Anonymous]

When I was a teen in the 80s, we weren't sitting around a campfire for fun.

[Anonymous]

This post is definitely has that "nostalgic for a time that never actually existed" vibe

[Anonymous]

Yes, and my girl knows how to do it too.

[Anonymous]

I learned to start a fire because my dad taught me, not for bonfires but because we had a wood-burning fireplace.

My kids learned in boy scouts and girl scouts. I'm a lot more confident in DD's ability to actually start one than DS's. I don't think he's done it since one scout trip in elementary school. DD did more camping with GS, attended an outdoorsy sleepaway camp, and eventually worked there and led overnight backpacking trips and taught kids to light fires.

[Anonymous]

No, it's not taught in school, but I can't say it ever was. My mom and dad taught me when they took me camping.

I personally am not one for campfires because I hate how it makes my clothes and hair smell and can sometimes needs a double wash to get the smell out.

But of course you can just Google it and watch some videos. It's not that hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This post is definitely has that "nostalgic for a time that never actually existed" vibe

Why wouldn't have existed? People do different things, have different experincs and memories. Ppl on nostalgia posts/memes always try to dispute another person's memories.

[Anonymous]

I’ve taught my son, but not sure he’s competent yet. He’s 17 and did admit to me that he and his friends make a fire in a local field and drink. So, OP, rest assured teens are still out in nature talking about the meaning of life with a case of ill-gotten booze.

[Anonymous]

DD learned in Girl Scouts at age 7 (but technically that wasn't permitted so our leader went rogue).

I live in an area where campfires on the beach or in park fire rings are a popular social activity for high school kids. And they're not the magical thing you're imagining, OP. We won't allow DD to go to campfires because drinking is a big part of them and now with phones, they inevitably draw hundreds of kids. Last summer things escalated and the ones that are usually low-key neighborhood ones became staging grounds for gang beefs and other stuff. There was gunfire at two of them.

Starting a fire is a great life skill and I'm glad DD can do it. We do let her have friends over to the fire pit if there isn't a burn ban.

But big social campfires? Not for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD learned in Girl Scouts at age 7 (but technically that wasn't permitted so our leader went rogue).

I live in an area where campfires on the beach or in park fire rings are a popular social activity for high school kids. And they're not the magical thing you're imagining, OP. We won't allow DD to go to campfires because drinking is a big part of them and now with phones, they inevitably draw hundreds of kids. Last summer things escalated and the ones that are usually low-key neighborhood ones became staging grounds for gang beefs and other stuff. There was gunfire at two of them.

Starting a fire is a great life skill and I'm glad DD can do it. We do let her have friends over to the fire pit if there isn't a burn ban.

But big social campfires? Not for us.

Yep. Grew up with beach fire rings. All about teens hanging out and drinking, gross behavior. Nothing really great about them. It was fun to toast marshmallows at girl scout camp when I was 10, but a few times is enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your six year old is already getting an hour of screen time daily, you're not setting yourself up to raise the teenager you want to have raised.

This was the red flag for me!
An hour of screentime at six is a lot!

But yes, my kids leaned how to light campfires on family trips and in scouts. I think the girl scout does it better than the boy scout since she pays more attention to the building of the fire and gets better air circulation. But both of them do it better then non scouting dads we know who rely on lighter fluid.

[Anonymous]

All 4 of my kids know how to build a fire. We live "out in the country" and if our teens are hosting there is always a bonfire. It is great and their friends all enjoy it as well. Sure, they all have phones, but they also have played some epic games of flashlight tag, capture the flag and how big can we make the bonfire. We supervise from a distance. They know we can see them. They know to have the hose ready and the safe place to have the bonfire. Our kids know how to build a fire because we taught them.

[Anonymous]

I've never been taught. It's not that hard to pour some lighter fluid on a pile of wood and light a match.

We don't make our cult bonfires with our bare hands and wet wood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This post is definitely has that "nostalgic for a time that never actually existed" vibe

Nostalgic for something OP watched on TV!

[Anonymous]

I just asked my 44 yr old husband if he was ever taught this, and we laughed and laughed. We grew up in Manhattan. Where the hell would he be starting a fire?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are teen boys still taught how to start a camp fire?

When I was a high school they will always be a bonfire and everyone will talk and just enjoy each other company. We didn't even drink alcohol or smoke , sadly this act is dying because kids are always on their phones., I know everything is super expenses now, but still kids should be hanging out more then always on their phones. MY DD is 6 and just hope when she is older, she can have fun and not be iPad kid or Iphone kid. She is allowed one hour of screen time a day, That is after she played out side for an hour and had some fun.,

LOL OP. Who doesn't love to sit around a campfire? This is what scouts is for. For both boys and girls.

My only advice with your DD is: you're already giving her more screen time than many current teens got at her age. Just think about that.