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My boys are also 12 & 14. I've found giving them freedom and responsibilties when camping makes for happy teen campers.

Their campsite jobs usually involve collecting firewood, starting barbeque, making skewers for marshmallows with sticks and a penknife, etc.

Notice the common 'danger' theme? At home I'd never encourage them to use knives or start fires but whilst camping they can get all 'Bear Grylls' and do all those manly things that an essex council flat doesnt allow.

Good luck

Quote: Originally posted by wi110w on 09/7/2008

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My boys are also 12 & 14. I've found giving them freedom and responsibilties when camping makes for happy teen campers.

Their campsite jobs usually involve collecting firewood, starting barbeque, making skewers for marshmallows with sticks and a penknife, etc.

Notice the common 'danger' theme? At home I'd never encourage them to use knives or start fires but whilst camping they can get all 'Bear Grylls' and do all those manly things that an essex council flat doesnt allow.

Good luck

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we took our 13, 12, 8 & 2yr olds to a siblu site near bordeoux for may half term, we had the campsite part of the park to ourselves and could pitch anywhere. loads for the kids to do and loads to see. cheap too £300 for 2wks incuding ferry crossings

You could try being reasonable and ...

• asking them what it is they think will happen if they're in a hotel and not mixing with others
• trying to work out how they could achieve that mysterious aim on a campsite
• ask them to calculate how many nights you could all have in a hotel for the price of two weeks on a campsite
• point out all the downsides of a hotel eg sleeping on old mattresses encrusted with other people's bodily fluids

Or, give them a choice of coming away camping with you or going to stay with granny.   MT