Last year, we made a silly video pointing out the differences between how my teen children requested gifts. This video was exaggerated, but only slightly. Since middle school, my daughter has produced elaborate PowerPoint wish lists, including graphics and shopping links. At first, I rolled my eyes but then I realized two things: 1) She was making my life so much easier by not having to guess exactly what she wanted. 2) She’s learned how to produce a complete presentation better than most adults I know. Her skills of persuasion will serve her well in any career.
Then, there’s my sweet son. He wears a hoodie and basketball shorts no matter the temperature outside. Bless his heart, he really doesn’t want anything. Last year he asked for a donation to St. Jude’s in lieu of gifts he wouldn’t use. Of course, we honored his wishes but I felt the need to get him something to open. Even though we didn’t purchase everything on Lola’s wish list, she still got a stack of presents. I didn’t want him to only have an envelope with proof of the donation. If you find yourself flailing on what to get the teen boys in your life, check out some of our favorites:
We did buy this for our son last year and it was a hit. It gets dark so early in the winter and this was a great way for him to keep the games going once the sun set.
My kids each have occasional study halls built into their schedules at school and these headphones help block out distractions and signal to friends that they are locked in on assignments.
Are our children going to become professional athletes? NO. Do we go over the top to help them recover from workouts/games/matches? Yes. In fact, our entire family uses these. They just sit on our living room floor and we rotate in.
I think the pandemic ruined my son’s ability to sit at a desk and study. Now he does most of his work lounging in a chair. (Hey, whatever works right?)
We have pickleball courts in our neighborhood and on any given evening it’s full of teens (and it’s wonderful.) Enthusiasm of this growing sport is spreading to the younger age demographic. High schools and colleges in our area have very competitive club teams.
The paddle you play with DOES matter, which is why we partnered with Selkirk to design these paddles for different abilities and price points.
I’ll repeat: Our children are NOT going to be professional athletes but to even make a team these days, it’s absurd the amount of work they have to do. As I wrote in my gift guide for moms we’ve recently discovered this company and by distributing weight (not just wearing a weighted vest) it’s safer to wear during workouts. They have partnerships with teen athletic programs to help develop functional strength by adding these incremental weights. Even if they aren’t trying out for a team, building strength is always a good idea.
Do I think my son will actually read this? No. I do not. But, I’m going to use it to drive conversations and check off some items from the “necessary life skills” list? Yes!
I remember we tried to make a stop-motion video for our channel. It took HOURS and we only got a few seconds of usable video. This is so, so much more efficient.
Donation
As I wrote above, my son only wanted a donation to a charity as a gift last year. He was inspired by one of his favorite YouTubers, Mr. Beast, who does a lot to give back to communities in need. We are now making it a tradition to give donations in honor of our children every year. Simply print out the receipt and put it in their stocking. This year we will be donating to charities doing the important work of rebuilding communities in Western NC.
