The Original Homecamp Dad: Doron Francis

STORY BY HOMECAMP

Doron with his daughter Anais and youngest son, Theo. Image Hillary Walker

To celebrate Father’s Day we sat down with the original Homecamp Dad, Co-Founder and Director Doron Francis, to chat about his philosophy in raising three kids that are connected to nature.

What are your earliest memories of enjoying the outdoors?

I was born in Napier on New Zealand’s east coast. We were always playing outdoors, mostly in or around the local creek loosely supervised by my older sister and cousins (who weren’t that much older than me!). I have a photo of all of us floating down the creek on a makeshift raft which looks pretty wild compared to today’s safety obsessed standards.

Tell us a bit about your journey into fatherhood?

I actually never thought I would have kids but now I have three under five. A friend once compared parenthood to ‘winning the lottery and losing an arm at the same time’ – I’m not sure about that, but it’s definitely a beautiful experience and challenging responsibility. It’s a bit of a cliche but you find out all sorts of things about yourself (mostly areas of improvement!) so there are enormous opportunities for self growth. Starting your own family is an amazing and loving adventure.

Doron and Stephanie Francis, Homecamp Founders and their children. Image: Hillary Walker

Image: Hillary Walker

How do you go about raising resilient kids?

We are by no means the model parents and the ideal way to raise kids is easier to theorise than put into practice, however, I would say you could start by giving them space to handle challenges and make mistakes.

I think it’s healthy to allow low levels of controlled risk into their play. When appropriate (and under supervision) let them cook on a fire, handle a knife or climb trees. Give them some responsibility at an early age. I think it’s also important to discourage the idea that they should be constantly entertained by consuming media.

Is travel and camping a big part of the way you will choose to raise your children?

There is a boundless stream of potential fascination to be found in nature. As soon as kids are outdoors they will inevitably find something absorbing to do and we find that they thrive physically and mentally after spending extended time outdoors. We want to encourage more of this and help them create great childhood and family memories.

If you could pass any of your own qualities down to your children, what would they be?

Respect for their ancestors. A sense of wonderment and curiosity about the world.

What are some adventures you’re looking forward to going on together as a family?

We have tonnes planned but they keep getting scuppered by lockdowns. I am keeping my eye on the prize and we are gearing up for the big lap of Australia in a couple of years’ time. There’s already been a fair amount of work done involved in researching and building the right 4×4 (nearly there) and creating the best camping setup for us. More of this to come.

Doron is a published author, and has written the books Rewild and Tent Life with his wife Steph.

Image: Hillary Walker

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