A reset weekend for me and my teenage son 🥹

We've stayed at Drovers Rest in Herefordshire and loved it. There are cottages and safari tents - each safari tent has its own private bathroom and loo in the main building. The farm itself is lovely with lots of walks, opportunity to feed the animals including alpacas, etc, if he's into the countryside stuff. My eldest was 12 last time we went and loved it.

We stayed in a safari tent in October half term last time. Flipping freezing but the tents had a log burner and the beds had electric blankets so it was unexpectedly cosy! Easy access to Hay-on-Wye and Hereford too.

I'd probably rent a nice cottage in nice scenery with stables etc close by. Hope you both have a lovely time whatever you choose

Which is why I specifically mentioned that he was under the care of an American doctor. It is simply that there are other treatment methods out there. The NHS liquid treatment wasn't working in his case

BlondiePortz

All this would sound fine if this is something he wants to do and not a case of parent going "I have decided we need to do this and in my heads this will be what happens and child / teenager just has to go along with it if they dont poster's will say child is ungrateful''
so does he really want to do this?

This exactly op, only one of my kids enjoyed camping, another a little but the other two HATED it! If he’d prefer a city weekend or just a hotel stay with a cinema trip and some shopping maybe consider that too (and haven’t convinced any of mine to go horse riding which I’ve always been gutted about!!)

Is perhaps wait until he's stabilised on the infusions and is feeling a bit better before going away.

Please don't even think of doing this unless given specific medical advice. When people have a bad bout of crohns it's normally a liquid diet they are put on or a very bland white fish/chicken/mashed potato/rice type diet.

https://www.living-room.co/contact

we have stayed in these tree houses and they are just wonderful for leaving all your worries behind. I know they are a bit pricey but worth every penny.
i hope whatever you do together you enjoy and re connect, he will be a lost little boy at the moment with everything going on. I’d also say push for a dermatology appointment if psoriasis is starting so young, it takes years to go through all the treatments till you find the correct one, my friend had head to toe psoriasis and finally was put on biologicas it’s completely gone as if it was never there.

I’ve got no tips but I wanna thank you for being an amazing mama. I’ve got IBD too but I was diagnosed at 25. It’s a rough ride . Thank you for helping him and supporting him. It will take time but he’ll get there.

One Cat Farm in Wales! Not sure about the horses but it is exactly as you describe - no phone signal in the cabins, so much nature around, not far from beaches with dolphins and seals. Outdoor campfire cooking and outdoor kitchens, really secluded and beautiful. They have wood fired baths if you want them. I'm sure they could help recommend somewhere to find horses too.
Best nights sleep I have ever had :)

https://www.onecatfarm.com/

try mendip basecamp https://mendipbasecamp.com/

They have indoor accommodation you can book rather than camping and have a lot of fun activities onsite.

Where abouts are you?
I work on a farm that offers animal experiences-goat walking, alpaca feeding, egg collecting that sort of thing. We also have camping fields and some 'glamping', (though it's a stretch to call it that. It's very basic, a bed in a shed and a log burner really). Lots of walks and off grid-ness. There is a cafe and a pub over the road. It's quite affordable. Something like that? If it sounds the ticket DM me and I'll give you the website. We are just north of London.

I've never been myself, but my sister swears by Centre Parks as a reward/treat for her grandkids

What does your son want to do? I think thats your starting point.

Air b n b an apartment overlooking the beach. Somewhere like Carbis Bay in Cornwall. Then you could do costal walks and go horse riding if he feels up to it or just stay in the apartment.

And the son what does he,want?

Not to say he doesn’t want it

but that doesn’t seem to be a priority

Look at Canopy and Stars. Quirky accommodations in beautiful places, but with bathrooms!

She doesn’t want Center Parcs.

Steroids absolutely do affect behaviour @Horserider5678 -pretty dumb to suggest otherwise. Unfortunately they are sometimes necessary to treat acute flaring in crohns. And if you read the OP her son has been moved on to other drugs

Hidden valley yurts in wales are amazing - www.hiddenvalleyyurts.co.uk

Where are you? I stayed with two teens in a small hotel near Yorkshire which was in beautiful, natural grounds for walks and had a falconry centre where you could learn about the birds and opportunities to handle them.

We have also stayed in the Ring of Kerry in Ireland, in hotels and apartments and caravan. Beautiful countryside and walks and opportunities for guided horse rides and other physical activities.

Wales is also brilliant for camping/glamping/holiday cottages with beautiful countryside, forests and waterfalls and probably horse riding.

I would also suggest Sherwood Forest which also has horse riding.

I hope things improve for you both xx

Where did anyone mention a pre med?

Op says she took her son for a scalp condition only, that in turn led to a crohn’s diagnosis. Not everyone diagnosed with crohns starts off with bowel issues, some are diagnosed after investigations for issues that turn out to be extra intestinal manifestations such as skin conditions or arthritis. It’s perfectly possible that her son isn’t suffering any gut problems at all, so worrying about immediate toilet access isn’t a concern.

Id also imagine if he isn’t having a lot of other crohn’s symptoms then this diagnosis and aggressive treatment must seem really extreme (both to him and the op). I’d be happy to take anything, whatever the side effects, when I’m in a bad flare up, but I can well imagine I’d feel very differently about it if all I was obviously suffering was a bad skin patch on my scalp to be fair. It’s a massive adjustment to make for a teen.

Have you discussed this with your son op? Would he want a weekend away in the countryside, or might he prefer exploring a city, or some activities maybe? Things we want or enjoy aren’t always what others are so keen on? Where are you based, and how far do you want to travel for your trip? Involving him in the planning, rather than surprising him, might help him feel a little more back in control of his life again.

Yes, I can't imagine wanting to be shaken around on a horse immediately after a stay in hospital.

You need to ask him what he wants to do and allow him to plan it (( within reason obviously ))

The poor lad doesn't have control over his own body at the moment, I can pretty much guarantee skipping through the forest will be the last thing he wants.