What do your teens do when they get home from school?

[sandyballs]

My 13 year olds have just walked in, moaned that there is nothing in the fridge, asking if we are poor as everyone else has loads of goodies constantly on tap to eat.

One of them then moaned about a day out we have planned for tom, saying she prob wasn't coming with us. Another moan about school, whilst making piles of toast.

They are now plonked on the sofa on their ipads. Any conversation I try to initiate is answered by one word, if at all, and I've been accused of going on and on and hassling them, just because I'm showing an interest in their school day.

I know this is all reasonably normal at their age, but just felt a bit wistful about the days they'd rush home and we'd go to the park or to get an ice cream, or to visit nana, and they'd chatter non stop. Although thinking about it I probably moaned about that. .

All sounds very familiar.

DS(13) comes in before me, makes peanut butter and toast and a drink (I think goes for a massive poo, likeflipchart's) then lays on the sofa with blankie over him watching TV and ipadding. Or sometimes straight to homework first. He is usually fairly OK for chatting

DD(14) comes in later, makes peanut butter and toast and generally goes up to her room on laptop/phone - FB/you tube/catch up TV. I think she sometimes does some homework too, but she mostly does that after tea.
We might have a brief chat too. Or not!

If I had spent the day surrounded by thirty of my peers (more at 'break'time), never alone in a room, jostled about in the corridors and with every piece of work I did being assessed and compared with arbitrary targets, then I wouldn't be feeling very chatty either.

13 & 11 come in sit down at the dining table with a snack and start their homework.
At some point during this time my 13yr old will engineer an argument. Could be about anything, but happens evey night :-(
After hw she goes straight iut on her paper round which11yr old helps her with, mainly because we live in a small village and she is bored as there is nowt else to do
When they get back they watch tv until their tea is ready..
Could be worse.:-)

13year old - Walks in, flings back on the floor by the door, puts headphones in and walks to kitchen whilst looking at iphone, eats whatever chocolate comes to hand - (favourites at the moment Chocolate fingers or white chocolate buttons) - goes upstairs whilst still looking at iphone, gets changed, comes back downstairs still looking at iphone, spends the evening looking at iphone - do you see a trend appearing.

Most of the time attempts at conversation are met with grunts but there is always some point of the evening where we have a catch up on the day and I see glimmers of her actually liking me.

Today my 15 year old ds1 has come home, dumped his bag/coat/shoes in the hall, gave me a hug, and ran upstairs to get ready for football training
Ran back out 5 minutes later leaving coat/shoes/bag still in the hall
My 16 year old dd came home, made us both a cup of tea, showed me 2 pics of her friend and asked which jacket made her look better, told me about her history exam mark and is now getting ready to go with her friends to watch the spurs/arsenal u21 match.

Get changed
Go on the computer
Have tea
Homework if there is any
Watch TV
Go out with friends every now and then
Argue
Try to beat each other up

The washing-up, I hope.

I'm deluding myself, aren't I?

trashcanjunkie
If I want meaningful conversation, I will start it just before bedtime - they are extremely forthcoming at that point in the evening grin little nobheads grin

I love this :D Literally Lol'd

Mine are nearly 13, only 1 of them has morphed into a Creature From the Teens.

She prefers the cupboards, fridge gets a derisery look once she's established that's Nothing To Eat in the cupboards. She is an expert eye roller and huffer. Her favourite past time is slumping in from of the TV with her tablet plugged into her ears so she can hear the Youtube make up/fashion blogs over the noise of the TV, whichs she switched on.

Her twin sister is still a sweet little girl, for now.

/Facepalms

Wish I could quote properly grin (shakes head)

Mine do all of the above, but they are great kids and will always help if needed, the 14 and 16 YO argue alot and the 10 and 8yo are plugged into minecraft...

Then again, Im on mumsnet and DH is on the computer also ... :D

DS2 (13) is playing some dinosaur shooting thing on the main PC - I'm getting a running commentary atm as I made the mistake of asking what he's doing.

DD(10) is watching something (just asked - Adventure Time) on the laptop.

DS1(16) is aimlessly wandering around in his underwear as he's just got home and has just chucked his uniform in the laundry. He's just asked DS2 if he can go on the PC but DD asked first (Minecraft reasons) so he'll find something else to do.

We're doing separate things, but we are all in the same room (laptops aren't allowed in bedrooms) so there's still conversation. DC feel obliged to tell me what they're doing even when I don't necessarily care... It's Friday. We're vegging out. It's nice.

Mine come through the door already talking to me (16 and 18). Have a cuppa, we all have a moan about our studies (GCSE, A Levels, degree). They tell me who of their friends is doing what, and with whom (if there's anything interesting to be told, and if I can keep up!) or have a vent if they need to. Then go and get changed, ask what's for supper and what time DH will be home, so they can calculate how much FB/Tumblr/YouTube/whatever time they have.

Eat supper a few hours later. In the meantime they'll either do homework or we'll watch an hour of Musketeers tv/box set together. More homework after supper, if necessary, or tv (occasionally). Obviously they have their iphone surgically attached to the palm of their hands throughout... They tend to clear up and stuff without being asked nowadays. Quite often I have additional mouths to feed as we seem to be hangout central for the friends. Then it's chaos, as they all talk over each other, and each phone seems to be blaring different music...

It's lovely, having got through the 'treat the house like a hotel and hate Mum' stage, I thoroughly enjoy it when 4pm comes around

Mine don't come in from school though, I have To collect them because here in forrin land that's just the way it is.

So the Kevlara behaviour actually starts between the school gate and the car park. After she's told which ever other school Mum I'm talking To that she's as tall as me now. Then we have the Drive Home. I've usually had enough by the time we Get To the car home. I regard entering the house as a new beginning

Like trashcanjunkie's ds, my ds suddenly burst into life at 10.30pm. He's sprawled on top of dh and me in the bed telling us about his day etc and sometimes I'm asleep and he's still rabbiting on. I guess teenage rhythms are different from aged parent ones!

Ds always gives me a hug when he comes in but spends a lot of time in his room strumming on his guitar (when he is supposed to be revising for his GCSEs).

Similar -mine crash through the door, race to the loo, ransack the fridge and cupboard, moan that there's nothing (unhealthy) to eat. Eat everything they find.

At this point, 12 year old, grabs her gym bag and taps her foot until I chauffeur her to gym where she trains for 3 hours, comes home ravenous again, eats, showers and sleeps.

However, 14 year old, moans that he's got LOADS of homework, spends approx 5 minutes doing it, goes out to play footie for half an hour, comes home, eats some more and sprawls on the sofa with the remote control. All before dinner. Then he showers and then takes a snack up to his room before bed.

(Note, I have NOT commented on the frugal shopping thread as I can't even bring myself to calculate the vast amount of money I spend on feeding them!)

The shopping bill.

That's the thing that none of the bloody books mention
"When they turn 13 you may as well have your wages paid directly to Tescos because 1 teenage boy eats as much as 4 adults. In one go"

#1 Son (15)
Homework
A GIGANTIC bowl of cereal for a snack - seriously, it's at least 3 servings
Chores
Computer Game with friends online until dinner

#2 Son (12) - he gets home 2.5 hours later
Homework
Snack
Chores
3DS until dinner

The amount of food that they eat is really insane.

Mine (13) comes in, pours a large vodka and tonic, plays Grand Auto Theft for three hours, takes an E then goes out clubbing til 3am. Works for me.

Mine are now 18 and nearly 16. Fucking hell but they have started talking again.

Must be the vodka.

Oh god when I was a teenager I hated the barrage of questions when getting home. School is "meh" enough without having to rehash it again at the end of the day.

What did you eat what did you learn have you got homework what mark did you get on your test.....

The horror.

comeatmefam I hope he pours one for you too! Bloody selfish teens...

Comes in, does piano practice, disappears to bedroom, does homework, reappears to help with dinner/ put on washing etc, has dinner with me, DH and DD2, then gets ready for music/ Guides/ Guides (yes, 2 nights a week) / voluntary job.

On her return about about 9 she watches tv (often with me - we like the same things, currently working our way through Buffy, but have saved Musketeers for tonight) for an hour, then goes to bed.

She's really easy. I'm very lucky.

How did you Get your's To do that Cometome? There's all of us struggling with teens in the home, come on tell us your secret?