Ideas for mom/teen son time?

[cjcouple]

What do you do with your teens when you have an evening free?

I feel like everything revolves around treats. I'm trying to find other ideas.
for reference my boys are 14 and nearly 17.

[underwaterrhymes]

Are you looking to hang out at home or go somewhere?

I think axe throwing looks like fun, but I’ve never done it. Escape room? Any local sporting events they might like?

If you’re going to stay at home, maybe turn off the lights, make some popcorn and binge movies from when you were a kid? (Gremlins, Arachnaphobia, Goonies, Sixth Sense, Poltergeist, etc.)

[wanderingback]

Home- board games, video games, movies, delivery/take out, bike rides,

Out the house- sports (like play tennis together), bowling, mini golf or driving range, there’s always free concerts or outdoor events happening here, movies, pro or semi pro sporting events, go karts, picnic with take out, art or painting class

[circa1978]

My son is only 12 but video games and Top Golf are two of his favorite things to do with us (or regular golf with his dad). We do board game nights and bake together.

[notsopicky]

I have a tween (12), and some of the things we do are play cards, go on reading dates (go to B&N, get a cookie in the cafe and we each read a new book for 30 minutes; we get remainders and we always have a coupon, so cheap!), play Pokemon Go at the local park, go to the movies. We also play My Singing Monsters together. He just invited me into his tribe yesterday, lol. 

[cjcouple]

Aug 26, 2023 17:43:18 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Are you looking to hang out at home or go somewhere?

I think axe throwing looks like fun, but I’ve never done it. Escape room? Any local sporting events they might like?

If you’re going to stay at home, maybe turn off the lights, make some popcorn and binge movies from when you were a kid? (Gremlins, Arachnaphobia, Goonies, Sixth Sense, Poltergeist, etc.)

to go out. Just some ideas for spur of the moment "let's go" when I find us home.

We've done ice cream and coffee type stuff.

When we are home they're usually open to a movie, or a board game. We used to bake when they were little but have outgrown that some. Although they will indulge me at Christmas with cookies. lol.

[underwaterrhymes]

Aug 26, 2023 17:58:10 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

Aug 26, 2023 17:43:18 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Are you looking to hang out at home or go somewhere?

I think axe throwing looks like fun, but I’ve never done it. Escape room? Any local sporting events they might like?

If you’re going to stay at home, maybe turn off the lights, make some popcorn and binge movies from when you were a kid? (Gremlins, Arachnaphobia, Goonies, Sixth Sense, Poltergeist, etc.)

to go out. Just some ideas for spur of the moment "let's go" when I find us home.

We've done ice cream and coffee type stuff.

When we are home they're usually open to a movie, or a board game. We used to bake when they were little but have outgrown that some. Although they will indulge me at Christmas with cookies. lol.

I’ve seen some fun graffiti art places popping up. Maybe there is something like that by you? Like this: www.native312.events/spray-paint-n-sip/

Or a pinball arcade?

We love places like Top Golf and Dave and Buster’s, but trying to think outside the box.

[cjcouple]

Aug 26, 2023 18:01:14 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Aug 26, 2023 17:58:10 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

to go out. Just some ideas for spur of the moment "let's go" when I find us home.

We've done ice cream and coffee type stuff.

When we are home they're usually open to a movie, or a board game. We used to bake when they were little but have outgrown that some. Although they will indulge me at Christmas with cookies. lol.

I’ve seen some fun graffiti art places popping up. Maybe there is something like that by you? Like this: www.native312.events/spray-paint-n-sip/

Or a pinball arcade?

We love places like Top Golf and Dave and Buster’s, but trying to think outside the box.

good ideas to look into

thx

[snapoutofit]

Mini-golf
Batting cages
Bumper cars
Beach if you’re near the water - we like to head out to the beach at around 3-4 pm, pack dinner and hang. We’re not really hang out at the beach all day people
Bowling
Arcade

[Rainyday]

Are you animal people?
We like to go to our favorite rescue and play with the cats and kittens. We always take a small donation too, maybe cash, a bag of food or old towels etc.

We went to a thrift the other day that had a great book section it was very organized, so easy to find books. He was surprised I let him get as many as he wanted, but they were only $1. It was definitely interesting and we had some laughs about the old folks working in there.

All of our outings almost always include a treat too.

[abs]

DD likes anything sporty—top golf, playing tennis, mini golf, batting cages, going to baseball games. Home run dugout is the next place on our list to try. She also loves exploring places with fun frozen drinks and going to Main Event. The problem is these are all $$$ but we have way better luck connecting out than doing things at home. She won’t play board games with us anymore and doesn’t like movies.

[Roc A Bee]

My 14 year old loves the arcade so we will go there. We are a big movie family. We go at least once a month. At home we put on a silly show like “Is It Cake” and play along. My 16 year old is also into this.

[mcmel]

Stargazing, IDing various constellations, getting into using a telescope is similar to things I did with my dad. Meteor showers were always exciting and something to look forward to.

Seeing a cool space thing on the internet and then actually finding it in the sky is cool, even if it’s just a passing satellite.

My brother just called me a couple of weeks ago to go watch the ISS pass over and we stayed on the phone chatting about how our dad would have been doing this with us if he were still alive so it clearly left an impact.

[underwaterrhymes]

Geocaching is fun too.

[minzy]

Recently I’ve taken my kids out for brunch, hiking, to community events, the pool, a water park, ziplining, a farm with a glorious sunflower field, clothes shopping. We’re going to see a Cirque show soon. Tomorrow we are going stand up paddle boarding with old friends. We might do go carts soon, the little one in particular is very interested in “driving.”

[slbride2003]

DS is only 11 but we just started archery. He was dying to learn so we did a family lesson for his birthday and now go to the range when we have free time.

[dochas]

We go to the beach and look for sea glass. We just started playing Pokémon Go. We go to Barnes and Noble too! We do the same at the library. We recently did a day long road trip seeing roadside attractions and oddities. Geocaching.

[fn2187]

Would they enjoy doing a 5k or color run or mud run?

Any local famous spots to visit, like a home from a movie they loved?

Paddle boarding

Trampoline park. Great exercise for you too!

Start exploring local college campuses for fun and dine there while you’re at it.

Volunteering in a soup kitchen together

[eb777888]

It's funny that you mention it, many of our mother/son days are surrounded by treats. Our last one was a week or so ago and he wanted ramen and a movie, which meant popcorn and candy. When he was smaller, it was ice cream, snow cones, etc. Food is definitely the way to his heart, lol.

We've also done hikes, Top Golf, at-home movie/baking. That being said, hiking wasn't the biggest hit, lol.

[definitelyO]

DS (17) is rarely at home these days between sports and friends and girlfriend. But we usually have a show we watch together - it was Young Sheldon, before that Modern Family - so we'll get that in.

We volunteer together - usually around feeding the unhoused population - that's about once a month at a food kitchen, etc...

we used to do board games - but that's not really his thing anymore. and occasionally he'll go for a walk with me.

[ellipses84]

I think it has to revolve around their interests, things you would enjoy too and throw in some things they’ve never done before to try and see if they like it. For my DSS who is in his 20s and out of the house living far away, he’s really into music so we try to meet up in cities (his, ours or between) and go to concerts. DH and he like the same type of music so sometimes they’ll go to the actual concert, or take DS1, but we’ll all go for the weekend so we can spend family time together, go out to eat, go to record stores, do touristy things we all want to do, etc.

For DS1 who is 12, he’s really into books and history so he loves going to the library and bookstores, and we watch lots of movies and documentaries (sometimes we read a book/ series and then watch the movie after each book). Museums are hit or miss. If he likes it, he will spend hours reading about every artifact, but if he’s not into it, we leave quickly. We go for walks to explore places in our city we’ve never been or go for bike rides. He’s a homebody though so sometimes it takes convincing or I just say let’s go to X, not do you want to go to X? Sometimes I just make a plan with DS2 and give DS1 the option to go… like today we went to the $4 movies and DS1 said he didn’t want to go but once he heard what movie we picked he changed his mind and liked it the best out of the three of us. I’m not readily into video games but the kids love it when we play with them.

I feel like when we leave the house it does end up costing money or we end of eating out/ getting treats, even just going to somewhere like the farmers market. If going to a coffee or ice cream shop means you spend a couple hours of quality time with your teens who will be out on their own soon, I think it’s worth it.

[katiecj6]

My sons are 14. We often watch a movie (I'll put on a 90s classic and they like it) or a tv show.

Otherwise, they also really like playing board games or card games.

They are both into pokemon go, so sometimes we will go out and play.

[4speedy]

My son likes to fish but we don’t have a boat or live on a lake.  There is a county park with a small lake/dock not too far away.  We also have no idea what we are doing or very good equipment—really just a basic pole, hook and worms.  We go sit side by side on the dock, dangle our feet in the water and cast away.  This has been our thing for years.  He’s 14 now and I find sitting side by side on a dock is where he really opens up and talks.  There is something about not looking directly at each other like we would over a dinner table that gives him the freedom to really open up and share his thoughts.

We also rent kayaks about once a month on a nearby river.  When the three of us go, it’s 12/hr for a double kayak and 8/hr for a single, so about $40 for a couple hours.  

I love doing both these activities in short sessions in the evening when the sun is not so hot.  As long as it’s not too far away, these can be quick evening activities.


i also regularly buy Groupons for put-put, ropes courses, escape rooms, etc.  Onc e I buy it, then we’re kind of obligated to get out and do things.  And it’s a good way to find things I wouldn’t normally think of.  We did iFly indoor sky diving recently because of a Groupon.

Also, it was definitely not cheap, but my 14 and 17 year olds recently did a knife skills (for cooking) class as Sur la Table with me.  They both really liked it and said they would take another cooking class with me.

[liverandonions]

Aug 26, 2023 20:15:05 GMT -5 abs said:

DD likes anything sporty—top golf, playing tennis, mini golf, batting cages, going to baseball games. Home run dugout is the next place on our list to try. She also loves exploring places with fun frozen drinks and going to Main Event. The problem is these are all $$$ but we have way better luck connecting out than doing things at home. She won’t play board games with us anymore and doesn’t like movies.

I thought my son would LOVE Home Run Dugout - he's almost 8, loves baseball. He actually hated it! He was there for a party and you have to wait a long while between turns, the actual bays are just ok. I thought the food was decentl, but overall a very expensive place for what you get. 

[abs]

Aug 28, 2023 7:52:31 GMT -5 liverandonions said:

Aug 26, 2023 20:15:05 GMT -5 abs said:

DD likes anything sporty—top golf, playing tennis, mini golf, batting cages, going to baseball games. Home run dugout is the next place on our list to try. She also loves exploring places with fun frozen drinks and going to Main Event. The problem is these are all $$$ but we have way better luck connecting out than doing things at home. She won’t play board games with us anymore and doesn’t like movies.

I thought my son would LOVE Home Run Dugout - he's almost 8, loves baseball. He actually hated it! He was there for a party and you have to wait a long while between turns, the actual bays are just ok. I thought the food was decently, but overall a very expensive place for what you get. 

That’s good to know. That is how I feel about Top Golf, lol. And actually everything I listed. Mini golf is the best deal!

[Deleted]

Outside:
Hiking
Bike ride
Driving range (way cheaper than TopGolf and you don't need a reservation)
Mini golf/pitch & putt
Batting cages

Inside:
Game night
Movie night

[waverly]

DS enjoys disc golf.

[jinkies]

My best time with my 15 year old son is spent hiking, taking the dog on long walks, going on bike rides, and (when he's in the mood) taking him shopping at the huge regional mall with all the fancy stores (he likes to go into the stores like Gucci and LV and pretend that he's actually going to buy something LOL). One of my best memories with him was spending a few hours walking around the mall looking for the most ridiculously ugly and expensive shoes.

Occasionally he will start watching some silly, snark-worthy show, and asks me to watch with him so we can talk about it in real time. We just did this with "Hack my house" on Netflix. We've previously watched My Big Fat Fabulous Life, 90 Day Fiance, and some crazy financial advice show on YT together. I think we both have more fun with shows we can make fun of together, than we would with just a traditional movie night.

[fluffycookie]

We do the driving range/golf simulator, go out for lunch/dinner, movies. Sometimes we'll stay in and watch tv or a movie. A while back when MH was golfing more during the summer we went on a fancy milkshake tour of our area. I researched a bunch of places and we went to each one. It was fun and he loves milkshakes just like me

[rootbeerfloat]

We go to the movies a lot.

Food plays a big role in our outings. DS (16) is learning to drive, so we'll plan a route based on somewhere outside of our neighborhood that he wants to eat. Even with the stress of driving, we (including DD, who often comes too) have fun conversations.

He's not a shopper or sporty, but we run/walk together several evenings per week, and this is where we get a lot of QT. We also go to the gym together, but he prefers that we pretend not to know each other there lol.

DD (13) and I grocery/Costco shop (she's a cook), Target/Ulta shop (she's into skincare, makeup), watch shows (lately House, LOST, some reality show about aspiring k-pop stars), etc.