We Took Our Kids to Burning Man… and Here’s What Happened

The Stratte Family At Burning Man 2025

Most parents plan family trips to Disneyland, national parks, maybe Hawaii if they’re lucky. We? We took our kids to Burning Man.

Yes. That Burning Man. The desert. The dust storms. The naked parades. The rockets of fire.

Why? Well… why not?

When you’re knee-deep in midlife, raising kids while caring for aging parents, you start to realize two things:

1. Life is short.

2. Your kids can handle more than you think.

And Burning Man was the perfect (if slightly insane) reminder of both.

Burning Of The Man 2025

Expectation: Total Chaos

Picture it: lasers, fire-shooting sculptures, mutant vehicles that look like dragons and houses, people in LED suits, thumping bass at 3 a.m.

Now add in teenagers. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right?

We fully expected sensory overload meltdowns, judgmental stares from veteran Burners, maybe even a early exit.

Reality: Kids Are Super Resilient

Here’s what blew our minds: our kids thrived.

They weren’t fazed by the spectacle, the chaos, or the sheer weirdness of it all. They soaked it up. They asked questions. They engaged.

Lesson learned: sometimes kids handle the wild better than we do.

What We Learned About Parenting (and Life) at Burning Man

🔥 Resilience is contagious.When your kids see you adapting and digging in they learn how to adapt too.

🔥 Connection matters more than conditions.It wasn’t the fire-breathing octopus or neon-lit art cars that made the biggest impact. It was us, together, navigating the calm chaos as a family.

🔥 Boundaries are flexible.Yes, there were naked people on bikes. No, the kids weren’t scarred for life. It actually opened our eyes and minds to what you want to focus on you will get more of. So we looked for amazing art and people and got amazing amounts of it.

🔥 Adventure bonds families.When you experience something so over-the-top together, it creates a memory that nothing else can touch. It’s a story we’ll retell forever.

The Big Takeaway

Here’s the thing: midlife can feel like a grind—sandwiched between kids, careers, and caring for aging parents. Sometimes you need to shake things up, throw yourself into the unexpected, and remind yourself (and your family) that you’re alive.

For us, that looked like hauling our family in a 1994 Frontier Flyer RV into the Nevada desert with a few gallons of water, questionable judgment, and a whole lot of curiosity.

And you know what? It worked. We came back dusty, exhausted, and more connected than ever.

So no, I’m not saying you need to take your kids to Burning Man (though 10/10 recommend if you’re brave). I am saying this: find your Burning Man. Do the thing that feels a little crazy, a little outside-the-lines, and a lot like living.

Because that’s what your kids will remember. That’s what you’ll remember.

👉 Want more stories like this? Listen to the full episode on our podcast Middle Age Management [link].

Trust me—it’s even funnier with all the unfiltered details.