Got 12 yr old DTs (boys) who used to go to about 3 or 4 weeks of organised clubs during the 8 week summer hols. I'd take off from work (self-employed single mum) 2 weeks at the start and about 2 weeks at the end and we'd survive.
But this year, they're not at all into doing organised clubs and feel they're much too old. Yet they're also too young to go out all day, every day, alone. They don't have the kind of friends who might all hang out at the park or in town. One DT (with Asperger's) currently has no defined friends at all now.
Both will happily stay on computers all day, every day, from dawn to dusk but I'm not happy with this at all. OK if it's 2 to 3 hrs max. but this would be easily 13 hrs!! However, it's the one thing they'll do when I'm in meetings/working (run business from home).
We're going away for one week to a UK cottage hol. and then I'm taking off the next week but then I really need to get back to work. I might take a bit more time off in late August but what about the other 5 weeks?
They won't go out together on bikes (and it's not that safe anyway with the local roads) and they fight horribly and are v v different to each other. They don't like sports. They used to do arts/crafts or drama hol. clubs but have refused to attend any more and are any way near the top of the age range for the ones they used to attend.
I imagined that by this stage, they'd be going off together to meet up with friends and maybe go to town or the park to play tennis - but the one who feels he could cope with this is the one who has no friends and the one who has some friends, wouldn't want DT along with him but feels too nervous to go out alone much without me.
Can anyone help me do some 'lateral thinking' about how to fill their 8 week summer hol., so I can still work, without allowing them to spend almost every moment on computers?!
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Help! Preteens and 8 weeks of hols looming....
11 replies
BlogOnTheTyne · 24/06/2013 05:50
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hesterton ·
24/06/2013 06:05
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