We just got back from a camping trip without any of our kids. It was kinda boring without them. (accept for you know what!) Definately
NOT the same. It made us think about what it would be like when they are all gone from the nest. Those thoughts made us glade they are coming home Saturday. They spent two weeks half way across the country with their Grandma and Aunt. I miss them.
Deb
Steve and myself
our 4 kidlets, Justin-15, Rachel-12, Michelle-10, Kellie-8 yrs old and
our Yorkie Tiffany-3
2002 Black 1500 Avalanche 4X4
2007 Sun Valley Road Runner 210 bunkhouse
d1h wrote: What do you do if your teen has a summer job and has to work weekends? Do you go camping without them? I love to camp and I'm not going to stop just because my teen has a summer job. Besides, unlike when they were young, they hate to camp and hang out with mom & dad anyway.
Hi! I'm 16, have a job, but always make sure to set some weekends aside for camping with my family and friends. I still love to camp, whether it be with just my mom and dad or not!
But, from a teens point of view here, it would ALSO be awesome for mom and dad to go camping and leave me at home sometimes. Go ahead and don't let us get in the way of your'alls interests.
We found that when you set high expectations the kids rise to the occasion. Our oldest hated camping, so we left him at home with a list of daily chores that needed to be done every day beginning when he was 15. We allowed him to have one or two friends over while we were away, but we needed to know the plan in advance.
He is now 25 and he and his girlfriend (and my youngest and his girlfriend) are planning our trip to Williamsburg and DC this summer. They are all fired up!
Our son was not an angel, but he behaved while we were away and he has turned into a fine young man with a great job. Many of you posted about how I "enabled" him when I posted things when he was younger. Seems like you were right. I "enabled" him into a pretty fine career and he's making a decent living. People still tell me what a great guy he is.
He understands work ethic even though we allowed him to stay at home and not work while he was a student. We paid his way through school. When he made a major mistake we held him accountable but did not go overboard. He made his mistakes and learned from them. We allowed him to make his mistakes and made sure he learned from them. When he paid for his mistakes we let it go.
Now that our kids are both older they both want to come camping with us. I feel blessed that my kids are now grown up and they are also our friends. I am so glad I "enabled" them all those years.
This is a tough topic and one we deal with all summer. We have a 19 yr.old fresh. in college and a 7 yr. old. The 19 year old has always hated camping (rather be at a beach), 7 yr. old can't get enough. It's just not possible for him to come away with us, though he's always, always welcome. Last year was our first outing without him and he did great - even taking care of the dog. No issues, no worries. He works very hard over the summer(currently 60 hrs/week - 2 jobs) and is in general very responsible - way more than his friends. Like other posters, this was either his chance to shine or blow it. I took any alcohol (we're not big drinkers) and hid it behind linens in a closet(you know he'd never check there) However, I'm not stupid enough to realize that he will find a way to get the booze....I work in the schools - I know that (and, been there, done that myself)! We're lucky to have a close knit neighborhood with families we know well . Our friends keep tabs on the house and the comings/goings for us and we for them (one of these families is also a camping family w/ same age kids - but girls). My parents are local enough that if something were to happen, he has help. We had one lapse in judgment last month. I believe the words from him were, "I never want to see you that angry again". We addressed it and, realize that people make mistakes and we believe he better understands how his actions can affect our family/home. It's not a perfect scenario by any stretch. We touch base with him several times throughout the day and night (thank god for cell phones) and bring his work schedule with us so that we know when to reach him. He's usually been very open with us about his life, so we're blessed in that respect - hence how we found out about his "lapse" last month. Though not perfect, we think that overall we've raised a respectful, kind hard-working young man and despite last month, I wouldn't hesitate to leave him again because I know he learned his lesson.
03Ultra wrote: Many of you posted about how I "enabled" him when I posted things when he was younger.
As far as I can tell, this is your one and only post in this thread. Just where are the "enabling" accusations?
It does sound like your kid turned out just fine. I hope mine do, too.
When I first joined the forum I posted several times about problems we experienced and how we handled them. A few of the people out here that are experts on everyone else's kids (probably because they have none of their own) posted all kinds of rotten stuff.
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) However, I'm not stupid enough to realize that he will find a way to get the booze....I work in the schools - I know that (and, been there, done that myself)! We're lucky to have a close knit neighborhood with families we know well . Our friends keep tabs on the house and the comings/goings for us and we for them (one of these families is also a camping family w/ same age kids - but girls). My parents are local enough that if something were to happen, he has help. We had one lapse in judgment last month. I believe the words from him were, "I never want to see you that angry again". We addressed it and, realize that people make mistakes and we believe he better understands how his actions can affect our family/home. It's not a perfect scenario by any stretch. We touch base with him several times throughout the day and night (thank god for cell phones) and bring his work schedule with us so that we know when to reach him. He's usually been very open with us about his life, so we're blessed in that respect - hence how we found out about his "lapse" last month. Though not perfect, we think that overall we've raised a respectful, kind hard-working young man and despite last month, I wouldn't hesitate to leave him again because I know he learned his lesson.
