Little S will turn 13 next week and I have no idea what to get him or how to make it special. I told him 2 months ago to make a list and put it on the Alexa. He sorta did.
He wants a new basketball. I got one, but we don’t have a hoop and we don’t even know if any of the hoops in town are open yet.
The rest of his list is gaming stuff that doesn’t come out until Nov/Dec.
So now he just wants money to spend on iPhone games. DH & I are very opposed to this, especially b/c we’re talking about a couple $100.
There’s nothing fun he wants to do and none of his friends are allowed to socialize, even distantly.
I’m frustrated, trying to make this a nice birthday. He’s obstinate and not at all helpful.
Exactly, @MaineLonghorn . I totally get it that this whole situation stinks. He misses his friends, his brother, his old life! And 13 is already a tough age enough w/o everything else.
I’d love to get him a new hoop, but we have nowhere to put it. The drive is too sloped and we’re not allowed (HOA) to put it on the street.
We did fun 13 things stuff for our kids. Some ideas-13 friends and family members sending them a piece of advice, a razor, a nail clipping kit, a bow tie, cuff links, a nice Swiss Army knife, watch, a pen set, small tool set, wooden desk phone stand, charging station, a memorable book, a nice dinner, nice hat, nice dessert outing, thirteen of their favorite candy or drinks, a nice experience in your area check groupon or the likes for ideas. Anyway, even though some of the things we did were simpler, they made them smile or laugh as they unwrapped them. Make it memorable
How about making his favorite meal/dessert and watching a movie together? Allowing unlimited junk food and watching whatever he picked was always a big treat for our son. (Still is today.)
Perhaps a perspective of what a Jewish boy does for his 13th birthday might be interesting for your son to consider - thinking of the year or more of preparation leading up to our son’s Bar Mitzvah. (I’m guessing from your avatar that isn’t your situation.)
If you have the space and nothing that can be damaged by balls going awry, the basketball game looks fun.
Give him $25 or $50 for iPhone games. Not “a couple hundred” but a small amount. It has been a tough 2020 for everyone, so pick your battles. Spend the remainder on whatever you were planning to spend on the other suggestions above or on something else.
Parks and playgrounds are open here… basketball courts too. Call your village or park district and ask about your area.
Maybe you could find a way to scout out a schoolyard or some place that has a basketball hoop… then go shoot baskets as a family (with your cookies as snack). It would be fun to find a way to make a memorable family moment / photo even if he can’t be with friends.
That’s my only concern, @Marilyn . I measured and it will definitely fit, but it’s reeeeeally close to his tv. I’m going to order it though. I think he’ll love it!
DH is also going to talk to the HOA about installing a hoop at the end of our street. It’ll have to wait until construction is done, so probably another year or so. They built a playground already for the little kids, but nothing for older kids.
We’re also going to fix up his older brother’s old trail bike. The paint is pretty scratched up from various moves, but it’s barely been used and in great shape mechanically. He hasn’t expressed any interest in it, but maybe if it’s fixed up it’ll push him to explore some of the great trails we have around here.
That’s about the age our son got hooked on biking (to school and also on trails with my husband and his mountain biker buddies). Biking interested him enough to get up VERY early during summer to watch Tour de France, which really surprised us since our kids loved sleeping later during summer break.
For my young teenage son during covid, he got into Legos. The good sets can be hard to find, because Lego got REALLY popular during covid, but he enjoyed them for a while. I bought both him and his 20 something brother AirPods for their birthdays this summer. They both really liked them.
