What’s camping got to do with “True Grit”?
Can camping promote confidence and true grit?
In the blockbuster film “True Grit,” a tough U .S. marshal scoffs at 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross when she tells him she intends to accompany him into Indian territory to track her father’s murderer. Undeterred, she proudly cites this evidence of her ability to handle such a trip: an overnite trip she took with her father where they happily told stories around a campfire and slept outdoors.
Anyone would question Mattie’s assumption that her single camping trip is in anyway comparable to the dangers and difficulties of her proposed journey. But you’ve also got to admire her confidence and “grit.” And, as a parent, you may wonder how to inspire such resourcefulness and self-confidence in your own children?
Although I wouldn’t dare suggest that taking your kids camping will lead to future acts of heroism and resilience of screenplay dimensions, I will point to “True Grit” in making these observations about the benefits of camping.
Camping creates happy memories. Recounting her single camping experience is one of the very few times Mattie shares a happy memory from her past and shows herself to be so young. Now, just as then, camping can lead to enduring memories of family fun.
Camping makes the outdoors a more friendly place. Because of her happy memories camping, Mattie does not regard the wilderness as a frightening and dangerous place to be avoided. Studies today indicate many kids spend little or no time appreciating nature and are, in fact, both unfamiliar with and scared of the outdoors. There’s nothing like camping to create opportunities for kids to discover and enjoy nature. By doing so, you can begin to nurture a lifelong long of the outdoors.
Camping builds confidence and an adventurous spirit. Call it naivete, but Mattie is more confident of her ability to adapt to rugged conditions and to embark on a dangerous adventure because she has left her farm before, and enjoyed it. Kids who leave their usual suburban/urban“comfort zone” for a camping trip outdoors gain the opportunity to experience new surroundings, be adventurous, and think of themselves as “outdoorsy.”
Thinking about going camping soon? I think Mattie Ross would say, “Just do it.”
