14 yr old wants to do nothing

[Anonymous]

Sports camps, political campaign helper, and lots of other volunteering. It is an awkward period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you didn't enroll them in camp, what are they supposed to do? They can't get a job.

As long as (a few easy) chores are done, their rooms are clean, and they get up and dressed by 11 am my teens can do pretty much whatever they want when they're not at camp or on family vacation. The school year is so hectic and stressful they deserve the down time. DD has been watching a lot of British Bake-off. DS does who knows what on the internet, but he's also more likely to want to hang out with friends. I try to be available in the evenings to take them to the movies or to friends' since they can't drive yet.

I remember the pressure to make summer great and always being disappointed when it was hard to meet up with friends and make plans happen and being sad about it and feeling lame and friendless. I don't want my kids to feel that pressure or be bummed out that they're not on exciting summer adventures every day.

I had two jobs the summer I was 14 - I worked at a town day camp that was free to campers and at an ice cream store.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two 14 year olds. One is doing two weeks of a half-day sports camp, and then nothing. The other is doing nothing. They sleep and play Fortnite. We will spend a week at the beach.

This is pretty much my 14 yo. Throw in binging on “The Office” on Netflix. And that’s his summer. So far, at least.

+1. DS is playing a ton of Fortnite and watching The Office. I thought it was too much so I enrolled him in a bunch of sports camps. Most are half day at local high schools. He’ll have 6 weeks of sports camp, one week of travel sports tournament, one week in Florida, and a week traveling with me on a work trip. We make him read daily and clean his room.

[Anonymous]

A couple weeks of just hanging out at home, couple weeks of family vacation, rest of the time volunteer CIT at a camp.

[Anonymous]

DD did a week of math camp (for Blair magnet), spent a few days at beach, a few days lazing around, 2 weeks drama camp, 1 week volunteer counselor, and hopefully some family vacation in Maine.

We will have some big clean up sessions of over the summer (her desk)! & some occasional math work & literature to keep the mental juices flowing. Also instrument practice. No job yet.

[Anonymous]

CIT at a day camp. Loves it and is happy to see her friends who were campers there with her in previous years.

[Anonymous]

Swim team with daily practice and two meets/wk, a week with cousins, then sleep away camp for two weeks. Summer homework, service hours, and PC gaming/group chatting/watching random stuff fill in the rest.

He's a pretty heavily scheduled kid, so it was nice to hear him say "I'm bored" the other day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you didn't enroll them in camp, what are they supposed to do? They can't get a job.

As long as (a few easy) chores are done, their rooms are clean, and they get up and dressed by 11 am my teens can do pretty much whatever they want when they're not at camp or on family vacation. The school year is so hectic and stressful they deserve the down time. DD has been watching a lot of British Bake-off. DS does who knows what on the internet, but he's also more likely to want to hang out with friends. I try to be available in the evenings to take them to the movies or to friends' since they can't drive yet.

I remember the pressure to make summer great and always being disappointed when it was hard to meet up with friends and make plans happen and being sad about it and feeling lame and friendless. I don't want my kids to feel that pressure or be bummed out that they're not on exciting summer adventures every day.

I had two jobs the summer I was 14 - I worked at a town day camp that was free to campers and at an ice cream store.

But when was the last time you saw a 14 year old working anywhere that his family didn’t own? Around here, there is enough unskilled adult labor available year round that no one wants to deal with kids who are around for 2.5 months and gone for 1-2 of those on a family vacation. Not even fast food

[Anonymous]

My 14 y.o. works as a math instructor at the kids' math center she had graduated from. She is very good at math and loves her job - works for about 20 hours a week.

[Anonymous]

Also I think with the service hour requirement I think that there are a lot more unpaid jobs/volunteer work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two 14 year olds. One is doing two weeks of a half-day sports camp, and then nothing. The other is doing nothing. They sleep and play Fortnite. We will spend a week at the beach.

This is pretty much my 14 yo. Throw in binging on “The Office” on Netflix. And that’s his summer. So far, at least.

+1. DS is playing a ton of Fortnite and watching The Office. I thought it was too much so I enrolled him in a bunch of sports camps. Most are half day at local high schools. He’ll have 6 weeks of sports camp, one week of travel sports tournament, one week in Florida, and a week traveling with me on a work trip. We make him read daily and clean his room.

yikes.

[Anonymous]

2 separate overnight sports camp
1 week vacation with us
1 week at grandparents' in Florida
Fall HS sport starts July 30th, so he'll have some down time outside of those practices but I think he'll be pretty exhausted too
Reading-some his choice, some mine
Very small job of assisting neighbor, who is gone most of the summer, with mail, trash, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 14 y.o. works as a math instructor at the kids' math center she had graduated from. She is very good at math and loves her job - works for about 20 hours a week.

I think that's really great! Does she get paid for that?

[Anonymous]

Jesus it's one of the last summers these kids aren't going to be working for someone else -- god forbid they just enjoy themselves.

[Anonymous]

Yes! Let these kids be kids! Push them out and let them hang out with their friends. This realistically probably the last kid summer they will ever have.