Being a watersports/outdoor loving family is great. But it’s also a tricky thing to pull off – as any parent will know. Just because you enjoy the brine doesn’t mean your offspring will too. One family that bucks the trend is the Lauders. From social media updates, we see show the whole crew is loving life in the flotsam. So in a bid to find out more, we caught up with mum Beth to get the goss.
Give us a little background about yours and your family’s water life.
We are a family of 6! Myself, my husband and our 4 children ages 5, 4, 2 and 3 months old. We moved to Bude 2 years before Covid for a more relaxed lifestyle and so that our children had the opportunity to grow up surrounded by beautiful beaches, woodlands and of course the sea. Before moving to Bude, the closest we got to the water was popping to the local swimming pool every few weeks, now I can’t keep them out of the water.
Is there any specific discipline you and yours gravitate towards most? And why?
Each day we make sure we get out into the wild for a few hours. Whether the sun is shining or it’s windy, we’ve even been known for going for a picnic in the woods in the pouring rain. I think it’s so important for the children to be outside. We limit screen time. We have Friday family movie nights and an occasional bit of TV on a Saturday. We only let the children use the iPad for learning once a week too (we home school). We want our children to see life beyond the screen.
Your kids seem keen. Is that because of your parental enthusiasm or are they just stoked to get wet regardless?
Honestly, it’s the children that encourage me to get in! I used to have a go at surfing when I came on holiday as a teenager. Then I had my first daughter at the age of 21. Since then, I’ve always been on the sidelines as I’ve either been pregnant, or I’ve had a baby to look after, so I’ve been watching the others go in the sea with my husband. On rare occasions, I’ve managed to jump in with them when we’ve had family down for holidays, and boy does it feel good. You will always find my children in the water, whether it’s splashing in puddles, at the pool, in the splash park, exploring rock pools or playing in the shallows down the beach.
Which area do you normally aim for with getting wet in mind?
We love Tommy’s Pit in Bude. It’s the natural pool by Barrel Rock. The kids love jumping off the edge into the water! (We had a mad moment one sunny January day and all jumped in!) We also love Summerleaze, Sandymouth and Trebarwith Sand.
Have any further flung favourite locations?
We have just brought a larger campervan so we are planning to explore some of the south of Cornwall this summer, which we are super excited about. There is so much still to discover and we are excited to find more beaches and waterfalls to explore.
For any other parents reading what do you think the secret is to getting (and keeping) kids active?
Just have fun. Some days I find myself saying no, as somedays I honestly don’t have the energy! Then I think “this is what I’ve dreamed of”. Having children that WANT to be outside. That WANT to connect with nature. That WANT to be wild and free. And then I just think, YES. We always end up having the best time. I remember my eagerness to always be on the go when I was a child.
When I look back at pictures from over the last few years, my happiest have been the unexpected days when we choose to say yes, instead of no. Sometimes it’s been saying yes to getting 3 children wetsuited up (which is a task in itself!!), other days it’s been something as simple as saying yes to the children when they’ve asked to go outside and dance in the rain. Whatever 8 say yes to, ends up with me having more washing to do… but amazing memories far outweigh the cons of more washing.
Do you have any family water goals you want to tick off this summer?
I want to do more swimming in natural pools now my two eldest are more confident in the water. We always want to explore more hidden waterfalls! Our two eldest daughters are getting more confident in the water thanks to their swimming lessons (Adam Roebuck from The Swim Station, Bude). We want to get them practicing on the surfboards more this summer and surfing the whitewater to build up their confidence. We also want to visit the Giant Slip and Slide again. Highly recommended!
Why choose NCW wetsuits for your liquid pursuits?
When we first moved down, I found my daughter got SO cold in the water. We had a love for being in the sea, but the coldness always cut our water time short. We visited a local surf shop and the guy told us that no brand made 5mm toddler wetsuits. He advised us to double up on 2mm wetsuits, which we tried but it was so uncomfortable for my daughter, not to mention that it restricted her movements.
We then came across NCW online, just through a Google search I believe. They sold 5mm wetsuits for 1-2 year olds. It was so exciting! Someone that understood the need for children to be warm in the water, with such a reasonable price tag too. We were even more excited to find out the company was owned by a local family just a 30 minute drive from our house. The wetsuits have been faultless and I recommend them to anyone with young children. They have kept our children so warm and comfortable, we’ve even had a crazy dip in the sea in January!
Any final thoughts on active kids, being an outdoor family and watersports?
I would say just keep saying yes. Children love to be outside. It’s natural for them, it comes easy to them. Be childlike and just embrace getting wet, muddy, and sandy with them. Enjoy every second as time flies so fast. Create a lifestyle for yourself, that you can look back on and think, we made the most of every season!
Shout outs?
Just a big shout out to the NCW company! Always happy to ping a message across to help, so friendly and supportive towards our family business too! Hopefully, we get to meet you guys in person one day! Also a shout out to Adam at The Swim Station in Bude. Thanks for helping my girls gain so much more confidence in the water! If you’re looking for swimming lessons, they come highly recommended.
Don’t forget to hit up NCW’s blog for more articles like this here.