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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Teenage boys 13/14 - what do they do in the holidays?

30 replies

SoTiredNeedHoliday · 08/07/2018 12:07

We’re just entering this territory & can’t see what these boys do in the long summer break.

Too old to want to do camps !!!

How do you keep them entertained and active and not glued to screens?

OP posts:
Iwanttoseethesea · 08/07/2018 12:12

DS15 doesn't want to do much really. Will leave the house if he's seeing friends. Will only come out with me if there's some sort of incentive (usually food).

Original poster
SoTiredNeedHoliday · 08/07/2018 12:16

So I’m not alone in that then!

They eat so much and are glued to the sofa it seems.

OP posts:
Ted27 · 08/07/2018 12:24

are they not interested in sports? Lots of tennis /rugby/football/athletics clubs have organised activities.

Mine is 14 in a couple of weeks - he has a week at scout camp, then I have two weeks off and we are YHA ing in Wales and Brighton. We have another week in Cornwall across the Bank Holiday so we are quite busy. I'm happy to let him hang around on the xbox, meet up with friends for the rest of the time.
If we weren't away so much he would go to the tennis camp for three days a week, chill out time the rest of the week.

RoseyOldCrow · 08/07/2018 12:25

I'll second the need for an incentive if they are to leave their rooms!
Mine seems to self-clean quite well, which is nice, but sometimes needs a bit of encouragement to hand over dirty washing (usually when the favourite t-shirts have to otherwise be placed beyond use).
Thankfully he is pretty well self-propelled nowadays, which cuts down on domestic taxis.

Original poster
SoTiredNeedHoliday · 08/07/2018 13:46

yes they are into sports but not into 'camps' as they seem too babyish apparently.

Mine is no good at self cleaning at all. Im constantly picking up things and cleaning the kitchen!

OP posts:
rogueantimatter · 08/07/2018 13:54

Skateboarding or jump biking at the local skatepark.

Hiking with a picnic.

Kicking a football around in the park

Leisure pool session

rogueantimatter · 08/07/2018 13:55

Give them dosh to buy and prepare something dor dinner. But this will be very messy and unreliable ime

rogueantimatter · 08/07/2018 13:56

A paper round.

Dog walking

JustLikeBefore · 08/07/2018 14:04

Meet friends in town, go to cinema, Few shops and Mcdonalds,

sleep

go to friends houses.

sleep

play online

sleep

meet friends

sleep

play online games

sleep

eat vast amounts throughout the day and night.

That's about it.

They do have gym membership, and can hire badminton courts and stuff. But they don't.

Iwanttoseethesea · 08/07/2018 14:38

Sometimes mine will venture downstairs if I say he can bake (having got all the ingredients beforehand). He actually makes a very good lemon drizzle traybake !

Original poster
SoTiredNeedHoliday · 08/07/2018 14:39

Justlikebefore that sounds a familiar pattern!

Rogueantimatter where do they get a paper round at 13/14?

I just have trouble with that they want to do everything alone, natural I guess but its a scary world out there!

OP posts:
HollyGibney · 08/07/2018 14:42

Mine goes to see steam trains when they start off on their UK tours from the various London stations.

He will come out with me and be lovely company if we are going to the cinema, for lunch/dinner, to Westfield.

Swimming, if we go he will come happily.

MinaPaws · 08/07/2018 14:50

It's really common for that to be the summer when they just do nothing. Not even see much of friends. I don;t know why but loads and loads of boys I know went through this at 13/14. Both my DC did as did their close friends and older brothers. I think they just need a break while they transition from childhood to adolescence.

Mine were just in bed all summer. I mean, we dragged them out on walks and for swims, stuck them on bikes and told them to come home in an hour, prodded them towards the cinema with mates but it was a struggle. I was worried. Now they are so busy we never see them. Work experience, off with mates camping, off to music camp/sports camp, trying to get a job, off to gigs with mates etc just 2-3 years later.

rogueantimatter · 08/07/2018 16:20

Yes. They go through a stage of being very reluctant to contact their mates. My dd was like that too.

Ds had a paper round from a local shop when he was 14. He started by doing holiday relief for another paper boy.

How about letting them have a couple of mates over to camp in your back gqrden? If you can stand it

JustDanceAddict · 08/07/2018 17:11

Screens (online w friends)
Gym (for teens)
Seeing friends - he does more in hols than on weekends generally but I do have to push it a bit sometimes as it’s easier to be online
Skateboarding
Shopping for new clothes as he’s growing too fast
Plus We’re going away

Cherryminx · 08/07/2018 19:34

My DS sport club let's the teenagers go along and help out at their holiday camps. If they attend a certain number and do a short first aid/ coaching course they get a shirt and a certificate. It worked for him.

Also we used to pay a uni student to look after DD as she was younger and DS joined in with them.

But otherwise he wasn't very good at self organising. Many days spent planning to meet up with mates but never actually managing it

SmellyNelly2018 · 09/07/2018 11:37

Lolling around iPhone, iPad, XBOX, film on tv eats loads, asks for snacks regularly and sleeps.
Occasionally he’ll meet up with a friend from school but not that often and occasionally shoots a few baskets in his basketball net in the garden and argues with me or his sister.
He will also come out with us occasionally depending on where we’re going and how he feels.
He drives me nuts his rooms a mess especially his floordrobem, he has a snack makes a mess, has some crisps leaves crisp packet on the floor in front room, messes up the cushions in front room and leaves Xbox controllers remote and his socks lying around.

Undercoverbanana · 09/07/2018 11:44

Ah yes. I remember those days. If you let them, they’ll do nothing.

With a bit of cajoling they’ll cut the grass.

DS even built a patio wall one summer holiday. He was so chuffed with himself.

Sport/swimming.

They need to be able to work, really. They need part-time jobs to give them some purpose and responsibility. Friends might employ him to do odd jobs if they run companies of their own?

Titsywoo · 09/07/2018 11:45

My DD doesn't really seem to see her friends outside of school yet so I doubt that will be happening much. We are going away three times with friends (camping, Haven and Centre Parcs) so that will take up quite a bit of three of the weeks. I have a few days out planned (we live near London and there's a lot to do there) and am praying DD and DS don't fight too much on those Grin. We are also sending her to the coast to work at my parents hotel for a week. Gives her some cash and a bit of work experience :)

Almondio · 09/07/2018 11:47

Thinking back to when I was 14, I spent the holidays with friends, trips to the park, watching TV and a UK holiday with family for a couple of weeks. I think my nearly 15yo will do the same.

He's going to a older kids' 'camp' for a week, will hang out with friends in houses or park/tennis/swimming pool, spend time with grandparents (with younger sibling) sleep a lot, UK holiday with us, and XBox more than I'd like (but I can't get worried about it.)

It's a funny age, too old for being 'looked after' but too young for total freedom.

RedSkyLastNight · 09/07/2018 11:49

I don't entertain (partly because any suggestion of mine will be automatically discounted).

When not in bed or glued to the PS4, they will "hang out" with friends, which basically consists of doing not very much very loudly.

We are going away for 2 weeks, and visiting GPs for 3 days and have a couple of family days out (to places teen wants to go to), so that covers half the holiday. He also carries on with his normal out of school activities (martial arts, plus volunteering). So screen use is (sort of) limited. Oh, and we tend to assign one "job" each day - but that might be as simple as emptying the dishwasher.

SmellyNelly2018 · 09/07/2018 11:56

One simple job a day sounds a good idea I have DS 14 and DD 13 and will be working part time some days in the holidays. But will be furious if cereal bowls are still left out when I get home.

BrazenHusky74 · 09/07/2018 12:03

At that age I had a job washing dishes in a local cafe. My DS (14) works on a local farm shovelling poo and hefting bales, he is also volunteering at the local animal sanctuary. He has plenty of time to visit/meet friends and we try to find time to do things as a family.
I know that we are very lucky to have a son who isn't dependent on social media and enjoys being busy.

Will admit to dreading the holidays with my DS2 (9) who is the complete opposite and will most probably spend 6 weeks glued to the TV/computer.

emmamehimandthem · 09/07/2018 14:57

My DS will be 14 in September and like most needs some kind of incentive to actually leave the house with me. To be perfectly honest though he will probably spend a fair amount of time on his PS4. He's got plans to meet up with his friends and go the local adventure playground, we have a week holiday booked so I guess that means he just needs to be entertained for the other 5 weeks. Eating will probably be heavily involved in that and we did make a summer bucket list where he has asked to try rock climbing, go go-karting and try fishing so we'll see how that goes.

PeterIanStaker · 09/07/2018 15:00

Without cadets and the camp and activities organised by them, he would be mainly festering.