Present Ideas for my boy's 13th birthday

[soontobeslendergirl]

No1 son will turn 13 while we are abroad on holiday in the summer.

He is a young 13 I would say - is not into sport or fashion/designer gear.

He likes computers/computer games, Manga/Anime and Scouts.

He is the boy who already has everything he wants - he has birthday money from last year and christmas money still sitting untouched.

He doesn't want/need a new phone/ipod/ds or anything like that. He has done Go Ape and white water rafting and there are no other experience type places near. I don't want to just give him cash but whatever we get has to be portable.

Any ideas??

Depending on where you're going, how about some sort of thrill activity when you're abroad? My brother got my nephew a package when they went to Egypt that included a camel ride and dune buggying etc, and he loved it!

Thanks :) we are going to Turkey so there might be something suitable - he loves water, maybe scuba? difficulty with that is that we will have No2 son (almost 12) with us too and it would be a bit off to go on holiday and not let him do an activity too and then it doesn't make it special for No1 son - will have to have a good think.

Thanks

I read somewhere an article about this .
13 things to do before you're 13 I think.
They thought of 13 'challenges' , wrote them down and sealed thwm in envelopes. I remember 'getting the train on his own and getting off at the 13 th station, finding a cafe and ordering and eating the 13th item on the menu.'
I thought it was a fantastic idea.

m.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jul/28/modern-teenage-rite-of-passage

Found it

That's a very interesting article Dilidali, thank you for posting it :)

He isn't pressing for more freedom yet - maybe I should be pushing him more. I did think at this age he would be wanting to make arrangements to go places with his friends and such, but he would rather sit in his room on his PC and has to be forced outside!

Although his soon to be 12 year old brother did ask me last week if I would drop them at the train station to go go to another City an hour away (1 change of train) to go to the swimming pool there. I declined as we have only ever been there once before so it isn't exactly a familiar journey and the friend no2 son wanted to take is a bit of a loose cannon - he is a nice enough lad but a bit impulsive and unpredictable. Maybe next time I should let them go (but with a more sensible friend!)

You're welcome!
I must confess I am struggling a bit with the lack of freedom the children have and 13-14-15 horrifies me. How am I supposed to let her go into the next town if I can't let her go to the corner shop with other kids? It is all going to come at once and it is a big responsability.
At the moment we spend all holidays abroad, where people are not worried to tell random kids off for playing in the street or being rude/naughty( practically keeping them safe) and she relishes the freedom to go fishing with her friends in the park behind the house etc, so hopefully that'll help when the little miss decides she needs the teenage years freedom. :).