What To Do With Teenage Boys In The Summer

[Country Kids]

Any ideas what to do with 15 year old boys in the summer. We are day 2 into summer vacation and already in tears because there is literally nothing to do. All friends are gone on vacation or literally for the summer, live to far from other friends, won't let him ride his bike all over the town, and can't get him anywhere do to childcare. He's a real outdoorsy type of kid-hunting, hiking, fishing anything outdoors so even if I could take him, I can't do anything because of the childcare and he can't get a job because I have no way of getting him there.

This is the first summer I have worked in 3-4 years and started taking summers off because this child does have a very hard time with childcare being here all the time. He literally needs a break from it and the summer was perfect. Due to some unforseen cirmstances I'm having to work this summer. The only bad thing with taking the summer off is there is no money to do much but with working there is no time.

I feel for him because I know that it is hard for me to be constently stuck at home with the children let alone being a teenager and not being able to go anywhere.

[Breezy]

Can he go to a day camp possibly?

[Country Kids]

No, he is to old for camps, they only go to about 12/13 here. Also, I'm unable to get him anywhere due to the childcare. He is going to camp in a couple of weeks but only for a few days and then back to this. I don't want him gaming all day but I don't know what else to do. When I was a kid we ran all over but I lived in a much smaller town and all my friends lived within a 3 block radius.

[youretooloud]

It's too late to be a camp counselor isn't it?

My daughter went to a camp near Seattle when she was little, and she loved the teenage camp counselors there.

Is there a public pool? Can you arrange to have a kid sleep over one night a week, and they can go hang out somewhere, then maybe he can sleep at another kid's house another day?

How about sending him for a week or so to a relative's house?

Is it too late to find him a summer camp for a few weeks? Even college students have summer camp. http://www.camppage.com/summer-camps...-northwest.htm

http://www.silverbirchranch.org/ <-- I spent every summer of my life from age 10-26 here. I miss it dearly. Damn adult responsibilities got in the way.

[daycare]

my son is also 15 and he is playing football for the high school and baseball for the city.

I am doing a carpool, because i cant take him to either one.

Maybe you can talk to some of the parents and plan a car pool. The parents can take them there to the event and you can pick up as it will be after DC closes.

My son was driving me nuts because he was constantly making noise while the kids were trying to sleep.

Maybe your son can help you with the DCK. My son teaches them sports along side with me at afternoon free play. He even bought his own whistle... it was cute.

If he does not want to be apart of the DCK group, which I can totally understand at his age, maybe he can plan some stuff to do with some friends in advance....

[AnythingsPossible]

My son is 15. He doesn't hate spending time with the daycare kids, but he doesn't enjoy it all the time. He hangs out in his room, goes outside, plays on his ipod, texts his friends. Right now, I only have 1 kid and they are playing Wii together. Later this summer he is spending a week with his grandparents, and he will be doing a couple of online programs to boost his skills for next school year(Algebra refresher and Spanish) He is looking for a job once he returns from his grandparents and will ride his bike if he gets one. He has also talked about going around the neighborhood and seeing if anyone wants lawn work done. Earlier today he played soccer with them in the back yard.
Do you live in an area where he could ride his bike if he got a job? What about the yard work idea? I have always worked summers and while my kids don't love it, they know that if they don't want to participate they have to find other things to do. I imagine it's hard being 15 and having them in your space when you aren't used to it.

[Country Kids]

Thank you everyone for your ideas! I will keep racking my brain and see what we can come up with. The yard idea might work because he has asked about that. Having him stay with relatives wouldn't work as they all live in the same town as us (I know what are the chances of that) and they all work so he would just be stuck at their house all day.

I'm really staying home for two children this summer and the parents aren't keen on them going places with DC so I know there is no way they would let me take them hiking, places with water and such. I am going to let them know that once a week we will be going to the park or something. Both of these children are 3 so it makes it way harder on him also. They are here from 6:30-4:00, which makes for a really, long day also!

[Country Kids]

Nannyde what do you do with your son in the summer? What are your plans for him as he gets older?

[melskids]

my son is 15 (my other one is 8, and i have SA here his age)

we are in the same place. jobs and friends are to far.

he is going to camp for two different weeks

but when he is here....i put him to work. for pay, of course.

not watching the kids...but cooking and cleaning. he likes to cook, so he does lunch. he hates cleaning...but will do it cause he knows he gets paid for it. nothing too heavy, but picking up, the floors, laundry, that sort of thing.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Hang on!

I got nothin'. Except symathy.....got a 16 year old....nightmarish. Everything "****s", nothing is "cool", every suggestion I make is "lame". Yard work for money is all that interests him. Dang, its a TOUGH age to keep entertained, hang on!

[KEG123]

Man, you all reminded me that my 3 year old will someday be a teenage boy. ACK! ::

[SandeeAR]

Are you close to a Sr center? Maybe he could volunteer there a couple of days a week? They would have a bus that picked up the seniors, maybe they would be willing to pick him up as a volunteer?

You know seniors would dote all over a teenage boy!

[jen]

Any ideas what to do with 15 year old boys in the summer. We are day 2 into summer vacation and already in tears because there is literally nothing to do. All friends are gone on vacation or literally for the summer, live to far from other friends, won't let him ride his bike all over the town, and can't get him anywhere do to childcare. He's a real outdoorsy type of kid-hunting, hiking, fishing anything outdoors so even if I could take him, I can't do anything because of the childcare and he can't get a job because I have no way of getting him there.

This is the first summer I have worked in 3-4 years and started taking summers off because this child does have a very hard time with childcare being here all the time. He literally needs a break from it and the summer was perfect. Due to some unforseen cirmstances I'm having to work this summer. The only bad thing with taking the summer off is there is no money to do much but with working there is no time.

I feel for him because I know that it is hard for me to be constently stuck at home with the children let alone being a teenager and not being able to go anywhere.

I mean this in the best way possible...why can't a 15 year old ride his bike "all over town." I have a 17 year old and by this time in life, presuming he hasn't done anything to earn your distrust, it seems some freedom is appopriate. It won't be long before he is off to college and he'll need the experience of being on his own a bit so he isn't competely overwhelmed when that day comes. When you think about it, he'll be driving next year!

[Blackcat31]

I mean this in the best way possible...why can't a 15 year old ride his bike "all over town." I have a 17 year old and by this time in life, presuming he hasn't done anything to earn your distrust, it seems some freedom is appopriate. It won't be long before he is off to college and he'll need the experience of being on his own a bit so he isn't competely overwhelmed when that day comes. When you think about it, he'll be driving next year!

That is what I was thinking. 15 is plenty old enough to ride bike to a job, a volunteer site or to go fishing IMPO. In less than 12 months (maybe less) he will be driving so the trust has to start somewhere. I know how scary it is to let our babies go but it isn't doing him any good to not have some sort of personal responsibility. So I completely agree with Jen.

[Country Kids]

Big whoops-realized I typed in 15 should have been 14-sorry about that! I can redo the whole thread next year when he is 15. Anyway I totally agree with the above posts but we unfortunatly don't live in a Mayberry type of town. Alot of people think we do that live hear but really we don't. All of my sons friends except for one are not allowed to ride their bikes around town. My older daughters friends where the same way. I wouldn't call us overprotective just aware of the surroundings. The kids that are allowed to ride all over are constantly in trouble and just wild. A friend of the familys was beat up at the local nature center by a group of teenagers-took their skateboards and hit him over the head several times and then robbed him.

My husband is even leary about fishing around certain parts here because there are so many transcient camps around and they usually are doing very illegal things in them. He really doesn't even want me taking the kids because he doesn't trust the areas.

Anything that he could do at his age is miles away. The library is 5 miles one way, YMCA 6 miles, animal shelter 8 miles and the local farm that does hire kids to work picking is 20 miles one way. The one year my daughter did that my husband figured it cost us roughly 300 dollars in one month for gas-she made $80.00 for the month.

We will keep plugging along on this and I'm sure figure something out. Which it were like when we grew up and you were out from sun up to street lights on!