Siemli, I posted a similar request a couple of years back as I knew my two girls (at the time 14 and 16) would be bored sitting around with us day and night on a three or four week holiday. They love restaurants and bars (especially if they can pop off and use the internet for a bit!) and will have some good conversations and a laugh with us, but they would much rather, like most kids of that age, be listening to their type of music and eyeing up the passing talent!!!
(Very difficult to be talking about the boys when your 'rents are close by!
)
I arranged a meet up for parents with other teenagers at a set time and place (early afternoon at Anna bar). My girls were appalled that I would do such a thing, and I really had to drag them along, with them protesting at how embarrassing it would be!!!! We were the first to arrive, and I thought it was going to be a disaster, with no-one else turning up!
In fact, loads of families arrived. The staff looked amazed as it was completely empty when we arrived, and suddenly the whole place was packed, with noisy teenagers and everyone ordering food and drinks (I wished I was on commission)! It was fab - well, it was for the parents! We met loads of other people from cbf; everyone wandered round asking who was who etc. The teenagers? They all looked embarrassed/sheepish, either sunbathing (the girls!) or going into into the pool and staying with the people they already knew!!!
Eventually, but not quite sure WHEN it happened as none of them appeared to even talk to each other, the older ones managed to arrange a meet-up,
without parents, for that evening! (The kids ranged from 5 to about 19.) It was a bit of a nightmare to be honest, as we couldn't get them to come home! We were all sat in a bar very close by, and kept an eye on them, but they had fun (the older ones sneaking a cocktail or two!) and by the time we finally managed to get them home, it was about 2am!!!! [
)]
They sat on the beach, laughing and talking about music, messing around at the edge of the water etc, some of them just generally flirting! (In fact, that was probably just my two!
)
The following day a few of them met up at the water park! We dropped the girls off and picked them up a few hours later, giving us some time to ourselves, which, part way through our holiday, was a nice break. We're not all normally together for every waking minute of the day, and, as much as we love them, it was nice to have a bit of time to ourselves. (Think I remember we used this precious time as most adults would - we went to the market and bought fruit, veg etc - something the girls would have hated. [^] )
The girls kept in touch with some of the others for quite a while afterwards, and the younger one (on her own last year!) saw one or two of them again last summer.
She has also met regularly, and keeps in touch on msn and facebook, with Amanda Bullock's daughter; again, someone she met in Calis. These two rarely talk to each other in front of us, but don't stop once they're out of earshot and have become good friends!!!
As much as we love our kids, and hopefully vice versa, they do need the company of others of their own age to truly be themselves.
