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WHAT IS ADVENTURE PARENTING?

Adventure Parenting lets kids be kids while immersing them in the great outdoors. Family time is spent doing activities like hiking, camping, caving, and unstructured play to encourage children to push their limits and discover their potential. Adventure Parenting teaches kids that life isn’t always fun, but the reward of overcoming adversity is worth it. At times, adventures can be difficult and even uncomfortable - filled with scraped knees, mosquito bites, and unexpected storms - but by learning to overcome and thrive in these situations, kids become brave, empathetic, and confident.

  • PRINCIPLES OF ADVENTURE PARENTING

    1. GET OUTSIDE

      Encourage everyone - mom, dad, kids, grandparents - to spend time together in nature. This fosters a love for the outdoors and improves everyone’s physical and mental well-being.

  • PRINCIPLES OF ADVENTURE PARENTING

    2. GET MOVING

    Leave the devices at home and combat a sedentary lifestyle! Physical activities build children's strength, endurance, and confidence.

  • PRINCIPLES OF ADVENTURE PARENTING

    3. REAL WORLD LESSONS

    Nature becomes a dynamic classroom, teaching children about wildlife, geography, and practical skills like navigation and survival. Note: We still value traditional academic education.

  • PRINCIPLES OF ADVENTURE PARENTING

    4. STRONG & INDENDENT KIDS

    By allowing children to take on responsibilities and decision-making roles, children learn they are capable of great things. Each adventure fosters independence and self-reliance.

  • PRINCIPLES OF ADVENTURE PARENTING

    5. FAILURE IS ALWAYS AN OPTION

    By allowing children to test their limits and manage risks, they can learn things that don’t always go as planned. Being allowed to fail teaches kids to be resilient and will give them the skills needed to face future challenges and bounce back from failure.

  • PRINCIPLES OF ADVENTURE PARENTING

    6. YEP, THAT MIGHT HURT A BIT

    Nobody wants to see their child get hurt but not only is it going to happen, it should happen. We are not saying to let you kids get into mortal peril, but we believe skuffed knees and tumbles are how kids learn to stand up brush themselves off and try again.

  • PRINCIPLES OF ADVENTURE PARENTING

    7. A FAMILY FOUNDATION

    Adventure Parenting isn’t only about letting your kids play outside. It is about getting dirty and being present in their adventures. Adventuring together strengthens family relationships through shared experiences.

What does adventure parenting look like for us?

We encourage Risk-taking

We want our kids to live life, take risks, and be confident in their abilities. We don’t want our kids to live lives “afraid” of what could happen. We always encouraged them to push their limits and to learn to believe in themselves.

The Osborne's hiking in Canyon Lands National Park.

Loads of Family Bonding IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

We spend a lot of time together. During the pandemic we shifted our lifestyle to prioratizing 4-10 days a month adventuring. We completely understand this is a huge commitment and we also used it as an opportunity to teach our children that in life you often sacrifice one thing for another.

Roake and Freyja in a blizzard at Crater Lake National Park.

Sometimes our kids get hurt

We know it's scary. We know our kids can get hurt. We also know that is part of life. While we are always there for them in those moments we rarely rush in to “save them”. We want our kids to be able to brush themselves off and try again. That never means there isn’t copious amounts of hugs and snuggles.

Ren Osborne scrambling up the trail in the Needles, Canyonlands National Park.

We Don’t Treat Ren Differently Because He has down Syndrome

We quickly learned that the most important thing is to treat Ren exactly as we treat his siblings. While his journey may look different he is given every opportunity to both succeed and fail. It is allowing this that has helped Ren become who he is today.

Ren Osborne exploring the desert as the sun rises over Moab, Utah.

We DON’T LET OTHERs LIMIT Our KId’s

As parents, we quickly learned each child’s abilities and when it's important to remind them of their boundaries. However, strangers, unfamiliar with their lifestyle, often feel compelled to step in and protect them while they are doing things well within their limits. We take these opportunities to politely explain this is the way they have lived their entire lives.

TRIGGER WARNING

Not everyone is going to agree with everything we do as parents and that is great. We have found that surrounding ourselves with people who have differing views causes growth and self-reflection. We hope to be the same for you.