Too Old for Camp, Too Young for a Job: What to Do With Your Teens During the Summer

As a Mom of a young teen, I was disappointed to read about the . All the headache, hurt and anger for a lousy $30 phone. Hopefully it will be a lesson learned and the girls will never repeat. A friend of mine also went through a similar experience. Her daughter, then 14, stole some cosmetics. She had enough money in her wallet to cover the cost of the products and then some. When asked why she and her friends did it, she said they were bored and thought it would be exciting to see if they could get away with it. Well, they didn't, and the classes they had to attend weren't very exciting either.

Summer boredom is a problem for many of us who have 13 - 15 year old kids. Too old for camp, too young for jobs. What do we do with them during the summer?

With our oldest, he really wanted to earn money for his video games. So, after much discussion, we settled on starting a lawn service. I told him to make flyers, go door-to-door in the neighborhood, and build up his clientele. Whew, one summer done!

Our next child had no interest in lawn service but loved the theater. We found out that First Stage Children's Theater has wonderful day-long summer camps. When she was older, she was able to volunteer for their summer camps. Score!

Now our youngest witnessed the older two work their summers. She knows she has one summer left before she walks the plank of summer jobs and has decided this is the summer of fun and friends. So what to do now?

Fortunately, in Fox Point we have great outlets. Some of her choices are the local pool, the tennis courts, as well as the rec department which has lots of activities available for diverse interests.  We are researching local volunteering opportunities as a great way to spend the day.

I know parents that leave lists of chores for their kids. I am an advocate of chores but I believe in paying for the work done. Let's face it, it's coming out of your pocket anyway so why not make it a reward?  We have a great system we used with our two oldest that taught them how to earn, budget and save...but that's another blog.

There has been one surprise this summer so far. Our daughter has had at least one friend stay with us. Similar to a foreign exchange student living with you, her friend will stay over for several nights. Now, before you think I'm nuts, this has worked really well for us. The girls will sit in the backyard listening to music, make videos, meet friends at the park, or play games. Our home has become a sort of home base for her and her friends. I am able to oversee and keep watch over them without micromanaging their time. They feel like they have a lot of freedom and I am happy to know who they are with and what they are doing.

Trying to fill the long summer days can add a lot of stress to your family life. Summer should be fun for you and your teen. Work with your teen and take the time to set a schedule either weekly or monthly. By doing so, you avoid arguments, miscommunication and can enjoy peace of mind.

What is your tween/teen doing this summer? Share your thoughts in the comments.