As a child there always seemed to be something magical about sleeping outside.  There are different sounds.  The light is different.  There are different smells.  The air feels different.  When we’re outside, particularly during the night, our sense attune to all of these things that are mitigated or filtered out entirely by sleeping inside a building.

You can, of course, get this feeling by heading out on a camping trip.  Or, you can get it by something as simple as sleeping outside in your backyard.

So when our boys asked if they could camp out in their new treehouse, of course we told them yes.  Not only does sleeping outside provide them with an opportunity to connect with nature, but – particularly if they do it on their own – it allows them to feel grown up and in charge of themselves.

Our boys have slept out in our yard many times.  Last year was the first time they slept outside without an adult.  My husband and I had the house to ourselves for the first time since our oldest son was born.  Truly, it was a milestone for everyone.

This year our boys have been waiting for the warmer nights that come to the mountains with summertime in order to camp out again.

Because we do live in the mountains and have a lot of wildlife come through our yard (including predators, such as bears [INSERT LINK], fox [INSERT LINK], bobcats, and mountain lions), we talked with them about nighttime safety, giving them the same basic rules you’d implement any time you’re out camping.  Granted, if your kids are sleeping out in a more suburban or urban setting, they likely don’t need such a talk.

Then my two boys went to sleep outside.  This particular time, they managed to scare themselves by reading scary stories.  So, instead of sleeping outside all night, they came back into the house a couple hours after they headed out.  However, they’re already planning their next sleeping-outside excursion; the next time without any scary tales.

I’m sure that next time, they’ll enjoy themselves.  They’ll come back inside the house in the morning just a little bit more independent and grown up.  They’ll be just a little bit more confident in their abilities to meet challenges on their own.  And they’ll be just a little bit more ready for their next big adventure than when they went out the night before.