What do your children do at weekends?

[ohmyohmy123]

My 2 younger children are 11 and 13. DP and I work full time and at weekends the children go to their clubs on Saturday morning and then like to 'chill'.

They won't come out for walks with us as a family as it's 'boring'. Even visiting family is a chore for them but then Monday comes around and I feel like the worst parent because they've done nothing all weekend.

They were fine in summer when they could see friends etc.

Youngest is now complaining that his life is the same routine wants to do things at weekends.

We have exhausted all the usual places that cost a fortune. I can't afford to spend £60-100 every weekend on a few hours out. I don't mind once a month or something.

So..what do you all do with your dc at weekends at this age?

Mine would quite often be either away on camp, or at some other activity with Scouts.

Why can't they see their friends?

Mine two are 17 and 14.

17 year old will occasionally meet a friend on the Saturday or go shopping/ coffee with me, but she spends most Saturdays doing college work as final year of A levels. She works all day every Sunday.

14 year old goes out with friends/boyfriend, or if the weathers bad they’ll go to each other’s houses. She may also have a sports match or a dance class depending on what she’s got on with those at that time.

very occasionally these days we go out as a family, but not very often anymore.

DC1 is usually working but can be persuaded to go out for a walk if they're around.

DC2 is more tricky and seems to want us to provide all of the entertainment. I don't know if some of them have found it harder to make a life out of the hike for themselves because of lockdown but then I feel that I'm blaming everything in the current pandemic.

16 yo Dd - goes into town for lunch or shopping, sees friends, did canoeing for a bit and DofE volunteering, wider family lunch every few weeks, tv, phone, nails done, sleepovers, occasional crazy golf, works. Sleeps!

13 yo ds - sees friends, bike ride, cinema, play station, tv, phone, family lunch. Wants to start work at 14.

14yo dd1 skulks in her room reading, sees friends, visits family (she'll say hello for 5 mins, see if there's any money going and then find a room to skulk in!). If it's somewhere familiar she'll go out with us and she'll come for lunch but otherwise she does her own thing.

14yo dances all day Saturday and has a job in a local cafe on Sundays. Occasionally squeezes enough homework in to avoid detentions.

12yo has sports clubs both mornings, then hangs out with friends. Warhammer gaming, music practice, skate park, and one friend has a hot tub that is very popular!

9yo has sports clubs both mornings and she's just getting into hanging with friends. She particularly likes going to help feed the calves on her besties farm. If that's not available, we go to the oxfam bookshop in town, have hot chocolate, go up the Big City about once a month for clothes / shoes etc

we do not have very exciting lives

14 year old sees friends

11 year old usually on screens TBH unless we take him to a museum or to see family 😑

"Days out" feel like poor value these days. One of ours has a time consuming hobby and the other does a hobby Sat mornings then a tonne of homework and occasionally seeing friends.

Last year we got them Alton Towers season tickets for Christmas and went there as a family quite a bit.

Mine are 11 and 14. 14 yo has most Sunday afternoons taken up with choir rehearsals, but otherwise usually sees a friend for at least half a day. Also does makeup and dressing up to film things for Tiktok.

11 yo is a bit in-between - not quite self organising with friends much, so I've realised we need to start actively planning more on weekends for the time being or else he will end up doing nothing. He's still very happy to come out with us, as is 14yo, it's just they normally have their own plans.

Or sometimes we all go and see family/friends

14 plays on PC or chills alll weekend

11 year old sees mates and plays football

neither have any interest in spending time with their parents!

My 13 year old plays rugby one weekend morning. The rest of the weekend he plays video games online with friends, during which they often hatch plans to hang out at goals for many hours. So he heads off on his bike. That then turns into hanging out at a friend’s house or asking if they can come back here.

He will come out somewhere with me, especially if it involves food. But mostly he’s interested in seeing his friends and is doing the teenage psychological task of discovering who he is apart from his family.

My nearly 13-year-old is at the livery yard all weekend as we have two ponies. Usually, her best friend (who also rides there) sleeps over at ours on either Friday or Saturday and they spend all day at the stables or go shopping at a shopping centre or places like Camden Market. On Sundays, my daughter works at the yard mucking out, so she is there from 7:30am and pretty much all day. Her circle of friends is from the yard, so they all hang out together there.

At 11 and 13 DD danced all Saturday morning, sometimes saw friends in the afternoon or evening. By 13 both DD and DS would sometimes go to the cinema, or perhaps to a cafe/park with friends, but often spent some of Saturday doing homework. Sunday was church in the morning - by 13 volunteering in the younger age groups, and going to their youth church in the late afternoon. Sometimes a family board game or walk in between, and rarely a Sunday lunch out but not often. Days out - to a theme park, zoo, big museum or even a cinema trip as a family of 4 were special treats, not a regular occurrence.

Mine are 16 & 12. Both see friends 3-4 times a month. 12 year old goes to the park to meet friends or goes to a friends house. 16 year old will go out a similar no. of times but meet friends for shopping/ lunch/ cinema etc

We do take them out - but similarly to yours they only want to come out if it costs ££ so we eat out/ go out for coffee, crazy golf, bowling or go to the cinema. I’m hoping we can get back to going out with a picnic for a walk more again in the summer but I’m not convinced they will want to.

I have a ds14 and a dd12

Ds... football training and usually a match. Otherwise he watches TV and plays his Xbox. Doesn't come out with us unless we are going for food!

DD...likes visiting her younger cousins with me. Does a lot of baking and watching TV. Also does arts and crafts. She's enjoys shopping and we often browse the shops together, she especially likes book shops.

12 year old dd is either playing football, playing netball, at a friends house, in town with friends, out eating with friends.
17 year old dd is either working, with boyfriend, out at pub/ restaurant/ club.

Both are happy to go out to dinner/shopping/cinema with me if nothing better in offer.

Mine would do activities in the morning, then either have friends round or go to theirs.