Any tips for what to do with a teenager who thinks Disney is dumb?

[Ballybunion3]

The whole family loves going to WDW except our teenage son.
His three sisters & mom are big fans. He just doesn't like anything
about it...hates rides, thinks characters are stupid, etc. Not unusual
for a teenager, I know.
Anyone have any ideas for what he could do to have fun? He might
just have to sit around at the pool....
:p

[Jenn]

What about letting him bring a friend? If he has 3 sisters, he is pretty outnumbered. Maybe with a friend he could go off on his own a little and stick with the thrill rides, check out girls, hang at the pool, etc.

[sueg]

Are you comfortable letting him go to Disney Quest? Once you pay admission, there is very little need for additional $$$, except to eat e.g. Cheesecake Factory. My DS(14) still enjoys WDW, but he reallly could spend at least a full day at DQ. Maybe you don't want to start him there. Or maybe you can use it as an incentive for acceptable park bhv. You know your own son's buttons.

[Ballybunion3]

Thanks everyone - poor kid, he's got to
go to WDW ; ^ ) (he'll have a good time despite his
current negative attitude, I know). I think the best
policy is to let him sleep in, go at his own pace,
go to DQ if he wants - don't force him into
anything. He's old enough to be on his own,
so it's really up to him if he wants to have fun or not.

I know one thing - the rest of us will have fun!!!:D

[HeatherPage]

Can you send him to Grandma's or another "older" relative of choice for the week you go? Maybe that would cure him of his negativity.

[ahutton]

I also suggest seeing if there is a friend or family member who could join the family for the trip, I know my cousin and I always had a great time getting away from our parents to play.

If you think DisneyQuest is something he'll enjoy you may want to consider getting an annual pass as they are very reasonable. I can tell you my DH and I have never had a problem spending an entire day there, we have been 4 times and there are still things we want to do that we haven't. It may be an option to get a smaller number of park days and the DQ annual pass for him.

Another option is to give an allowancce or select a package that includes boat rentals. The water mice can be rented from many different hotels and each lake area has its benefits.

My parents never really had a problem with me, I was begging to go all through my teen years!

[tjmw2727]

Our friends 16yo enjoyed Disney Quest and the ESPN Club at the boardwalk.
At 16 could you make it his responsiblity to find some things that he would like to do? Remind him he is going and its up to him to make the most of it. I agree that MK may not be his thing but there is so much else to do and great transportaion at WDW.

Give him links to this site, deb's site and the official site to research, perhaps he can find some trip reports from teens.

Talk to him about how you feel, that you want him to have fun and get his imput. Have him give you some ideas about things he would like to do. Water mice or a water park rather than theme parks perhaps. I think Typhoon Lagoon has surfing lessons, maybe even a backstage tour......

There is a WDW guide for kids that may give him some ideas. There may even be a teens page here that he could get ideas from. I guess my point is that maybe he should be doing the research with you.

Above all when he does find some things he wants to do be sure and include them in your touring, can or send him off alone if your comfortable with that. If he dosen't take the initiative to find something he will enjoy, IMHO he looses the right to complain! YMMV

Have Fun
TJ

[ChiTownZee]

I say, him a relative or close friend and spend the money you would have spent on him on extra souveniers and character meals! Be sure to take lots of pictures to show him afterwards. ;) Maybe you could have clean-out the garage or paint the house while you're gone? :D

[Ballybunion3]

Thanks for all the tips! I especially like the garage
cleaning idea.
:p

No family nearby, unfortunately, and we can't afford
to bring another friend. He'll come around.
The rest of us are so ready to go!! 3 weeks:bounce: :pinkbounc

[sgtpet]

How about including one of the water parks. WDW got a little dull when a was a teenager. I enjoyed at the time River Country. How about BB, TL?

[mom42860]

How about running a post over at the Teen page for ideas? My DD likes that forum and listens to them where she might not believe Dear old Mom. You could run the post and after a few replies print it out for him.

[tar heel]

When my older teen needs a break from us, he often goes to Innoventions and plays video games. He also sometimes goes off and rides by himself. Both of my teens like rides, so that makes it easier, of course.

[crusoe2]

I agree with all the suggestions to give him the freedom to go to the waterparks and Disney Quest, hang out at the pool or rent a boat, etc. Maybe as a little added enticement you could get him his own debit card to use for food and souvenier purchases while he is on his own. I don't know much about these but I remember reading something about cards especially meant for teens - the kids like them cause they feel like they are using a credit card but parents don't have to worry about them getting carried away with it. Hope this helps.:)

[Disney Dude]

I also have a teenager (13 old boy) who "HATES" Disney! Funny how when I say tough, we're going and that's the end of the discussion, he always comes around when we get there! I know deep inside he likes Disney, he just won't admit it. We also have fun with him by making stupid bets with him, and if he loses, he has to pose with a character or something else he "didn't" want to do! My best pcture yet was when he lost a bet and had to pose with Pooh. Not his favorite character, so he made a face (thought he was going to ruin the picture)but it turned out to be something we still laugh about.
Hang in there, there only "Aliens" for a few years, and some day we'll be laughing because we'll be grandparents going to Disney when they take their kids! (Just think of the stories we'll be able to tell!)

[Boots]

When our DS was 17 he went with us and his grandparents. We finally decided to let him sleep in and then we did whatever he wanted to do in the afternoons. Actually it went quite well with him planning our vacation. He did have bored moments but on a whole it went ok.

[Dr. Happy]

I take it that your teenage son is the oldest??

I like the friend idea. I also like the school of "tough love" (although I hate that phrase). The school of "tough love" sez that if you don't like it that much, don't go. Send junior to his grandparents house when you all go to WDW, or his aunt & uncle's house in East Jahunga, Iowa. Sometimes we indulge teens far too much and worry far too much about their "emotional well-being" when in actuality they need to be provided opportunities to see what it is like without the indulgence (i.e., nice trip to WDW). I would suspect that one "alternate trip" for him would cure him of his "dislike."

Also, keep in mind that teens are into counter-dependence and resist any and all contact with family when they are desiring to detach. Allow them to experience this by arranging that "alternate trip" to another relative's house.

After all, why take a miserable teen (assuming that he is, he may not be that overt) and spoil the trip for others who really want to go??????

:cool:

[HeatherPage]

Well said Dr. Happy :)

[Dr. Happy]

Thanks, HeatherPage!!! Nice to see another Carolinian on the boards!!

:cool:

[Minnie824]

I agree with most others, and say see if a friend could come along, and let them go off on their own. DisneyQuest would be fun, and he may even enjoy the Studios more than other parks. Also, maybe see if there was a way to get him to Universals Islands of Adventures. Theres a lot of roller coasters there if he enjoys that.

[Ballybunion3]

All great tips - thanks! He's going to have
fun and like it!:D

Seriously, sending him to a family member
just isn't an option. He can hang out at the
hotel, and if he shows interest in something,
great. He's a teenager - there's just not
a lot you can do to change his mind or
attitude. After trying to get him involved with
planning and trying to ask him about things he would
like to do (to no avail), just had to let it go.
Had a long talk with him, and just made
it clear that we respect his right to not
"like" where we're going, and he must respect
our right to enjoy our vacation, and not
do anything that will detract from the great
time the rest of us will have. He was perfectly
fine with that, and says "I just went to chill".

So, no problem!

We'll let you know how it went!:D

[MinnieMe2]

We went to WDW with our teen son (17) and daughter (14) last year. They each brought a friend, who paid for their own air fare, food, and passes. We provided a place to stay. We are DVC members.

The two boys met a couple of girls their first nite there and spent a lot of time hanging out with them. We met the girls, who were very nice. Their situation was similar to ours, in that one of the families is a DVC member and they had their daughter bring her friend for the week. (Met the parents by the OKW pool one day, and they seemed very nice.) The boys did join us for dinner at Boma one nite, and our last nite there coincided with the last performance of Blast, so we all went to that together as well. DD and her friend stayed with us most of the time, their choice.

I think the key was to let them all have some independence, let them choose what they wanted to do and when. The fact that they each had a friend helped a great deal, too. DH and I actually managed to have a nice dinner, just the two of us, one night....

[DeeP]

My 19 yo DS has been going to WDW every year since he was 2 and once he got to be about 14 he decided he was sick of WDW. For the first couple of years I still insisted he come with us and he was miserable, then when he was 17 he stayed home. That cured him of his dislike for WDW, I think he was shocked that we would go without him! Now, he is always ready to go to WDW but he still does not go to the parks any where near as much as the rest of us do. He enjoys sleeping late, going to Epcot, DQ, ESPN to watch games, laying by the pool, renting water mice and eating dinner out with the rest of us. We go to WDW 3-4 times a year and he only goes once a year due to college and work but he still wants to go on a yearly basis.

[RumpleMom]

Our WDW trips have changed now that the kids are teenagers. Nice meals are much more important to them. Waterparks, DQ, DD and PI are musts. We go to PI three evenings in a week to see Comedy Warehouse and Adventurer's Club. Planet Hollywood, House of Blues, Rainforest Cafe too. It's different, but we are still spending time together as a family, that's what's important.

[FunkyRooster]

I'm 18 and still enjoy going although the thought of going with my family is kinda lame. For me, even if I go off by myself and doing my thing either down town or on the boardwalk, it's great. I love Disney though and think I will never grow out of the fun.