If you’re struggling for ideas of what to do with your awkward teen(s), here are some options to help you in the right direction.
Urban Life
As pleasant as a cottage in a country may seem to you, it’s a near death experience to your teenager. Picturesque, quaint villages and ‘breathtaking views’ won’t cut it. Head for cities where there’s an abundance of nightlife and trendy museums. New York is always a guaranteed success if your budget will stretch that far. Closer to home there’s the culture of Barcelona or the history of Rome. A trip on the Eurostar to Paris will penetrate even the most stubborn sulk and with the Olympics in London this summer, our very own capital city is a great place to start.
Surfing Holidays
Whether it’s Cornwall, Hawaii or Europe, the thrill of the surf and generally hanging out on a beach is a guaranteed winner. It gives them the option of staying away from you but at least you observe them from a distance. With a little luck you may encourage them to think about the dreaded e-word (exercise!).
Safari
We’re not talking about a theme park in the West Midlands, we’re talking a serious, real live animal safari. A guided safari through the African bush and the sight of big cats and game up close and personal can’t fail to dispel even the most ingrained moping. For the ultimate in ‘cool’, head to Antarctica for a safari with a difference. Who could fail to be impressed with the whales and polar bears in their natural habitat? What, you know someone who could? It’s OK, I understand.
Sailing Holidays
Whether it’s hiring a barge to sail through English canals and rivers or chartering a yacht around the Greek islands, you’ll be amazed at how capable your teenagers are of helping out. Once they get over the shock of the ‘outdoors’ they may actually start to enjoy it and who knows they may even… smile!! (Don’t expect too much!)
From summer camps in the French Alps and the vibrant nightlife of Paris to surfing beaches, sailing and safaris, options abound to resolve every teenage holiday dilemma. Of course, there’s also the final bonus option that we forgot to mention.
Summer Camps
If the thought of spending a couple of weeks in your company (or vice versa) is really too much to contemplate, have you considered the prospect of despatching them to a summer camp in the French Alps? Yes, that means you get two weeks off as well to remember what it was like before you became a parent. They’ll learn a variety of skills under strict supervision; activities range from rock climbing and white water rafting to swimming and horse riding. For those with a less adventurous nature, outdoor language lessons are available and for older teens, there’s the chance to lead groups into action. What do you mean, you quite fancy it yourself?
Leave Them At Home!
It’s obvious isn’t it? If they’re older teenagers, it’s perfectly acceptable to leave them at home to their Facebook, iPhones and computer games while you soak up the sun in foreign climes.
OK, we’re joking. It might be slightly left of sane. We’ve all heard stories of teenagers and parties while their parents are away. No matter how much they protest about how they will be fine and of course they won’t have a party, don’t risk it. Remember when you were that age? Exactly. Take them with you or better still send them off on the very own parentless (supervised) holiday.
Main Image: This image was posted under the Creative Commons license courtesy of Flickr.com
