What to do with teens February half term

[Blueonlyhouse]

I’ve got two 15 year old dc, I’m going away for 4 days to celebrate my birthday with some friends and I’ve all of a sudden got mum guilt, it’s not the first time I’ve left them but feel as they’re older they need a lot more organised activities to keep them from getting bored.

They will be staying with my mum, however she is finding it hard to get around now so won’t be as active, I was thinking of booking them a short caravan break whilst I’m gone but I don’t think they will enjoy it, or just some activities with their friends.

So please any ideas what to do would be great, we are in London if that helps, but don’t particularly want my boys wandering the streets of London.

Caravan break in Feb will be horrifically cold.

what are they interested in?

Won’t most 15 year olds in London be sorting out their own social life? Yr 10/11?

My 13 year old sorts his own social life so I would expect older teens to.

To clarify - in London, or in any big city, as public transport is good and they won’t be dependent on being ferried around!

Surely you don't sort activities for teens that age? They've got their own social life by that age normally.

I’d leave them to it. Mine wouldn’t want to spend loads of time with me at half term. Unless we have a planned holiday booked.

October half term they asked to stay at home so they could see their mates, go to parties and sleep lots!

Obviously they will see friends etc, but I don’t particularly like the thought of them just aimlessly roaming the streets especially when I’m not in the country.

As explained they will be staying with my mum who is not able to get somewhere quickly, she doesn’t drive and is disabled.

I have always booked activities for them and their friends, it’s just the type of mum It’s how I’ve kept them active and away from bad influences, there is nothing wrong with that.

Talk to them about it! Together look up to see what is happening in London that week and book them some events. What are their key interests? Music? Drama? Specific sports or gaming? The BFI does incredibly cheap cinema tickets for under 25s. So do many theatres. There's a Pokemon championship at Excel. There will be exhibitions everywhere, from British Museum to National Gallery and both Tates.

You could book them onto a skill-building course like a two day cookery or pasta making course and ask them to bring the food back to their granny. Or book them some masterclasses - perhaps online if the weather is foul. DS had a couple of masterclasses on his instrument with some very good musicians at around that time, and just a couple of one-to-ones really helped him improve his skills.

You could ask them if there is a mini challenge they want to set themselves and help them plan to achieve it, whether it is swimming a mile in the local pool or reading two books in a week, or writing a screenplay or computer game code or painting a canvas etc. help them set up what they need to achieve whatever it is, and check in on them each evening form your holiday to see how they are doing.

I doubt they'll be hanging around the streets in February weather. And even if they do spend a few days mooching - all teens do surely. It's a rite of passage to be somewhere you wouldn't tell your mum you were. So long as it is not actually dangerous, it's fine.

Talk to them, are there jobs they can do for your mum that she can't manage? Is there somewhere they could take her for the day? Must be some theatre or whatever on in London? Arts/cooking/sport courses?

Ask them!

My 15 yo just wants to stay in bed, roll out for food and roll back in....And I let her do just that last week!

Term time is so full on, she does 3 dance classes, Musical Theatre, Maths Club at the local Uni, singing lessons as well as starting her GCSEs that I'm comfortable allowing her a week to decompress and be a sloth!

They may like being given permission to camp out and do nothing at Grannies House... just stock up on lots of snacks!