Teenagers and the Summer Holidays

Recently I have been reading and envying all the latest posts about keeping the kids entertained over the summer break. I used to do the same. List all the things we wanted to do and all the places we wanted to visit, arrange meeting up with friends for picnics in the park, swim afternoons, beach visits. But teenagers and summer holidays is a whole different ball game.

My boys are now 15 and 12 years old, and with ALL the will in the world I cannot get them enthused about anything. Bbviously Xbox is not included here. I’m aware that the age they are now they like to lay in occasionally, have lazy telly mornings and later nights. But really what the hell am I going to do over the holidays?

I cannot let them fester in their rooms all day. I know they prefer to manage themselves, even if it means just watching telly or playing on their phones or whatever they do whilst they lounge about in their bedrooms. The mere mention of going to a park or a walk somewhere sends them into meltdown mode. Things like cinema/ bowling/ Go Ape etc all cost lots so would only do occasionally.

So, I’m frantically looking for options.

We have booked a week away camping in the Isle of Wight in August.

Actually they are both looking forward to this as they went there with their primary school on their Yr6 trip. So, although we have booked the campsite, we are leaving the holiday up to them.

We have the guide books and they know pretty much the places they want to visit over there (inc the hotel that they stayed in ). So this week away should be great for all of us, even with their continuous bickering. To top it all off we are NOT, I repeat, NOT on a budget this time. After I had a little radio win in May I have purposely kept plenty of spending money!

Mr B will be working as normal on shifts throughout the summer so there will be days when he is here with us and others were he wont. The days he is not here are perfect lazy days or cinema days that will fit in with my chronic illness. However, when he is here I would like us to actually DO something rather than waste the 5-6 weeks.

So apart from the normal having friends over for xbox and a sleepover I’m manically trying to sort ideas that wont cost the earth. But also things that they actually want to do. There is absolutely no point forcing them to do stuff they don’t want to as no one ends up enjoying the day.

My list so far:

* Groupon have a great offer on for tickets to Horrible Histories Live in London ( still a pay out but def worth doing for a major treat)

* Thinking of possibly one of those Cineworld monthly tickets. Anyone tried these and are they worth it?

* Eldest has already arranged to go stay in Plymouth at my mums as my brother lives there and they spend days walking the moors!

* Fishing with the youngest while the eldest is away……youngest loves it and eldest detests it.

*If the weather holds out we will definitely get a day at the beach, complete with burgers cooked on the beach for tea. That we still like doing but cannot swamp them with doing it too often. Might offer them each to bring a friend which will separate them and contain the arguments.

*They still enjoy movie nights. So I will invest in a few new DVD’s or a pay per view off demand, with popcorn and fizzy drinks to keep them happy. Again I could get them to invite a mate or two as a change.

* Games nights as Monopoly is a favourite, as is Texas Hold’em. We invested in a proper poker table last year which they love

Other than that I’m pretty stumped. Neither are bothered about cooking or baking really and making things/ craft is absolutely not their thing at all.

All you with teen boys, help me out with ideas for teenagers and the summer holidays. What else would you suggest?