What do you do as a family with your teen?

[Anonymous]

I feel like our son is gone all the time between, school, sports, academics, and friends. We are a family of four, two parents and two kids. How do you keep your family a family during these years?

[Anonymous]

We try to do dinners together as often as possible. It can be hard, not only are the kids busy but DH puts in long hours with a long commute. But whenever we can.

On weekends, when not at his sport, we do chores together. In the warmer weather, we work outside together doing yard and lawn work. We shoot baskets together in the driveway.

We enjoy watching some TV shows together, this may sound hokey, but my teen and tween love Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. We have a collection recorded on the DVR and watch them when we get a chance.

[Anonymous]

Dinner most nights, shooting baskets in the driveway, occasional outings to the batting cages or a climbing wall, Friday Pizza and a movie, games of Uno, Not Parent Approved, etc (quick hands of a card game, basically).

[Anonymous]

Dinner together a few times a week (some more than others), family vacations (Spring break), and now that the eldest leaves for college this Summer trying to do one fun family thing monthly (hiking, bowling, let DC pick)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dinner most nights, shooting baskets in the driveway, occasional outings to the batting cages or a climbing wall, Friday Pizza and a movie, games of Uno, Not Parent Approved, etc (quick hands of a card game, basically).

Are your teens really young? By 15 most wouldn’t do this stuff as a family unit.

[Anonymous]

Dinner out (of course we do dinner in too, but that is less doing and more just being)
Movies
1 Redskins Game per season
1 Caps game per season
beach for 1 week
weekend trips (ski, go to see family)
Watch football/basketball/movie on the weekends.
We have a series we watch together
Darts/ping pong
puzzle (we do 1 or 2 a year)

[Anonymous]

To PP above, mine is 15 and we do this. Don’t make generalizations just cause yours doesn’t do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dinner most nights, shooting baskets in the driveway, occasional outings to the batting cages or a climbing wall, Friday Pizza and a movie, games of Uno, Not Parent Approved, etc (quick hands of a card game, basically).

Are your teens really young? By 15 most wouldn’t do this stuff as a family unit.

Our family did and this is the type of thing DC asks to do when home from college on break or when we visit (1/semester).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dinner most nights, shooting baskets in the driveway, occasional outings to the batting cages or a climbing wall, Friday Pizza and a movie, games of Uno, Not Parent Approved, etc (quick hands of a card game, basically).

Are your teens really young? By 15 most wouldn’t do this stuff as a family unit.

I don't think you can say "most".

In our case, it's not optional, anyway. The kids are expected to do family things with the family. It's not always exactly what they want to do, but they don't complain (and sometimes they get to choose.) If you want to enjoy family time with the kids you have to make it a priority, which means not always making it a choice. Usually the kids enjoy things like hiking and concerts etc, even though if asked beforehand, they'd have chosen stay at home and play on the computer.

[Anonymous]

We eat dinner together most nights, or we sit with him while he eats after extracurriculars.

Spring Break trip ( usually short because he has to get back for sports) and Summer beach.

He plays hockey, so one of us gets one on one with him.

Running: he's much faster than me, but we'll drive out and warm up together then he takes off

The gym: Again, we do different stuff, but at the end, he drinks a smoothie and we sit together for a while

Sporting events

We're not perfect and neither is he. We're trying to steal as much time as we can.

[Anonymous]

Movies, and dinners out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dinner most nights, shooting baskets in the driveway, occasional outings to the batting cages or a climbing wall, Friday Pizza and a movie, games of Uno, Not Parent Approved, etc (quick hands of a card game, basically).

Are your teens really young? By 15 most wouldn’t do this stuff as a family unit.

I'm the PP, ours does, happily. And yes he attends social events, sleepovers, hangs out with friends, etc. Again, not perfect parents by FAR, but these aren't hard.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to leave aside vacations and special outings (e.g., pro sports games and theater), b/c it sounds like OP is looking more for day-to-day suggestions:

church -- kids don't go every Sunday, but often enough, and they do service projects -- if nothing else, it makes for interesting conversation

Sunday dinner -- nice meal with cloth napkins, candles, dessert and prayer

card games and board games -- Scrabble, Sequence, Ticket to Ride

sports -- tennis, bike rides ("Who wants to go get ice cream?")

TV -- major sports events (baseball playoffs, dog show, March Madness); series -- The Office, Blackish, Friday Night Lights

NYT crossword puzzle -- I'm an early riser, so I start it in the morning and then leave it on the counter; kids and DH fill in what they can later

cooking and farmers market

walking the dogs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dinner most nights, shooting baskets in the driveway, occasional outings to the batting cages or a climbing wall, Friday Pizza and a movie, games of Uno, Not Parent Approved, etc (quick hands of a card game, basically).

Are your teens really young? By 15 most wouldn’t do this stuff as a family unit.

I'm the PP, ours does, happily. And yes he attends social events, sleepovers, hangs out with friends, etc. Again, not perfect parents by FAR, but these aren't hard.

Meant 15:19

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dinner most nights, shooting baskets in the driveway, occasional outings to the batting cages or a climbing wall, Friday Pizza and a movie, games of Uno, Not Parent Approved, etc (quick hands of a card game, basically).

Are your teens really young? By 15 most wouldn’t do this stuff as a family unit.

Our family did and this is the type of thing DC asks to do when home from college on break or when we visit (1/semester).

Our family also have dinner together, watch movies and series at home or at the movie theater, walk around the city, go to plays/musicals together, play basketball at the park etc. Luckily, my DD enjoys our company. Our trips are great! Luckily she has a more positive attitude than I used to have with my parents at her age. I hope my DS will be the same. She is 14, he is 10.