school hoildays

XYZ1000

Hi I was wondering if anyone has teens or did have at one time! My son is alost 15 yrs old. He is abit to old for a childminder so was wondering what you do/did when you worked with your teens? (also that is moneysaving)!! thank you

FBaby

Surely at 15 he can look after himself during the day? I've stated living my 12DD alone for a full day and that's no problem. She can contact me at any time. The only reason why I wouldn't consider it for every day of a week is because of boredom, it's not fair, so I've tried to take as much time off, organise for her to go to friends and vice-versa, going to local clubs etc...

What have you done the previous years?

XYZ1000

Thanks for your reply. Yes he is old enough to take care of himself and does when I do some evening shifts. I think that I am more concerned as to his where abouts ect.
I childminded for most of his years so didnt have a problem. Last few years I worked nights. A neighbour with a son alittle younger than my son his Mum also worked nights so the kids use to play in the garden where the Mum was awake most park of the day so it worked out wha well. Now I would be gone most of the day till 4 ish.

FBaby

I personally think that it would do him good to gain some independence at this stage, so maybe look at it from this point of view. Sit down together and plan each day, letting him come up with suggestions and keeping an eye on how he organises it all.

Being left on their own doesn't mean they are totally left to their own devices. I discuss with my daughter what she will do during the day, call her around 10am, then if she goes out ask her to text me before she goes and when she is back. I might not be physically there, but I do expect to know what she is up to at all time. At 15, i think I will be a bit more laidback, but I would still want to know the evening before what her plans for the next day are.

XYZ1000

Thanks that sounds really sensible. Gosh I hope that I can be that organized though. The night before sounds like a good plan as lately life depends on the weather!

FBaby

It certainly does! I think it helps to encourage them (especially boys I think) to plan things together in advance, not weeks, but at least a couple of days.

My DD goes to her dad every week-ends and it is her opportunity to meet up with her old school friends (we moved last year), but I often have to remind her that if she texts them the Thursday or Friday, she will have a better chance to arrange something with them on the Saturday.

He might also need help with ideas of what to do, looking in the newspapers for coming local events, things that you could sign him up to, or that he could go with friends. Do you know any of the parents of his friend enough to contact them and discuss it with them too?

embob74

I found that as they kids got older I worried less about them but more about what state my house would be in!
Friends of mine left a list of chores which would keep them busy for a couple of hours then lunch and a few hours after.
I think a lot depends upon the child. I know children that were left alone at the age of 11 and they were responsible enough to handle it. My DD is 12 now and no way would I consider leaving her alone for a whole day as she'd just get herself into trouble.

dizziblonde

The deal in our house when I was growing up was that I'd get given X amount a day of the holidays and it was up to me to make it last - either save for a few days to go do something cool, or fritter it away on rubbish (and usually the second option was chosen)... in return I got given a job each day that I had to do that day - something like polish downstairs, hoover upstairs, put a load of laundry through or whatever.... oh and the unspoken threat that if my mum came home to the house looking a bomb site I'd be for the high jump!

angelil

Depends how sensible they are! I was babysitting regularly from age 14 so my parents had no qualms about leaving me by myself.

ciderwithrosie_2

If other teens are anything like mine they wouldn't have long got up by 4pm anyway, barely time for breakfast and a shower! :mad:

Spendless

I've been thinking about this recently. I'm currently temping f-time having lost my job that fitted in perfectly with hols and term-time last year. My current assignment finishes on Fri and as of yet I don't know if I'll be offerred anything else, which leaves me with a dilemma about what to do with my 12yo if I am. I trust DS to be home alone for a few hours, but I don't really trust his friends who are more immature and I don't trust DS's judgement about his friends. :cool:

At 12 mine is no longer eligible to go to the Priamry school holiday club, but the holiday clubs he can attend (the sports based ones) don't have start and finish times that are in sync with f-time working and require an adult to sign him in and out so he couldn't make his own way there and back.

This is my current thoughts, since the beginning of the year DS has slept in till around mid-day on hols if he can, so letting him stay up later so he sleeps in is my 1st plan. We do have relatives around the village (grandparents/g-granparent) so also thinking of sending them round there for a few hours or for lunch. Last year the council ran a 'summer passport' where you could nominate 1 swimming pool and then have unlimited swimming all summer hols for £15 or you could nominate the 'fun pool' for £30 to either swim or ice-skate or £40 to do both. I have my fingers crossed they do this again and I'll speak to some of his friend parents about them doing same thing. DS will need to know how to catch inter-connecting buses though, something he's never done, so my plan is to either pair him up with a friend of mines child - she doesn't drive, so her kids are more clued up about public transport or give him a crash course myself one weekend.