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Were off to Ms Spanners' parents today for "Christmas Lunch - The Revenge".
Will be 14 of us there and it's always a ding-dong do:food, walk in the park, food, games, food etc.
Only problem is Ms S's nephew and niece:
Both of these black-clad teenage angst merchants will be seething with disapproval at having to mix with happy folk over Christmas and will probably try to wind everyone up by wearing their earphones all the time, even when at the dinner table.
Well, it annoys the rest of the family and really seems pretty bloody ignorant to me.
So, what to do? Usually try and make conversation, attempt to draw them out of their shells etc, but this year, the tempation to take a pair of scissors and cut the headphone cables is almost overwhelming.
I've been good all year and already received MY prezzies, so, go on, should I do it?
Set a table for 2 and let them get on with it.
Do whatever you can to make them paranoid.
Why aren't there parent's removing the earphones, if they're annoyed too?
Take lots of pictures of them so you can take the p*ss massively in a few yrs time about what prize tits they were.
Just let them be in the smug knowledge that they will look back on it in a few years time and realise they were being daft.
I am not a parent though so ignore this comment!
Let em be kids and do what kids do.
Ian Munro..their mother appears to be so besotted that she's oblivious to how ignorant they are being. Such is life!
I think you should confront her now, for a nice big boxing day argument 🙂
Just ignore them. There's no cure for being a teenager
They are learning to be adults and are not sure of themselves, try to engage with them. (They possibly don't think they have anything to contribute). Usually after the tenth earphone removal they will give up and put the ipod away.
Ian, have you met her? 🙂
Sooooooo tempting, but no, I'm saving that one for when I really need cheering up.
Thought of borrowing the ipods and filling them both with Val Doonican, but the logistics defeat me.
You could ask them what they are into, bands n stuff. Do some quick research before you get there and engage them with stuff they would like to talk about.
thebikechain:
They like Death Metal, stupid clothes and revelling in their own body odour.
I'm a bit past all that, (apart from the clothes and the body odour) 🙂
It's because you are past all that that they like that stuff. 😀
You were never a teenager?
Ignore them, it's what they want anyway
Ha! Ha! Bless them, they're just trying to be 'different' and ending up looking like all the rest.
Engage them in pleasant conversation during which explain that if they really want to be 'different' and stand out from their mates then wear a suit!
I'm here 'til Monday, try the veal...... 😆
wire snips?
i like bike chain response-you will be talked about for months to come as the cool relation
you could just fire them dirty looks as if they are alien to you and thereby increase the sense of distance between you
whichever works best for you 😉
>You could ask them what they are into, bands n stuff. Do some quick research before you get there and engage them with stuff they would like to talk about.
Then get up and do a full disco-dad routine to their latest tunez
You lot would make hopeless dads!
Simple; find some obscure Finnish Death Metal, make CD, give to kids. If your budget can stretch to it, buy them a T-shirt with Jesus gets it up the Bum or some other super popular beat combo on...
It's about subverting their rebellion, about giving them nothing to rebel against.... tut tut tut, did the ethos of punk rock teach you nothing?
There is a family down south today, the son has been found drowned in a river, and up in North Wales, there is one family with a dead son, stabbed to death, and another 2 families withs sons at the police station charged with stabbing him,Wearing earphones seems trivial compared to these.
It's not trivial. It is ignorant (if that is what they do). Their parents should know better. But if they don't maybe you should ask Ms S (ahead of time) to alert her parents to the fact that it winds you up, and get them (who's house it is) to have a quite word with their other son or daughter (ahead of time) and make sure that they have had a quiet word with the offenders (ahead of time) - then hopefully, no scene, or simmering angst at the dinner table because it's all been pre-sorted. Although maybe this is all too late now?
So you can tell us - how did it go?
its the parents fault for allowing it.
project - Member
There is a family down south today, the son has been found drowned in a river, and up in North Wales, there is one family with a dead son, stabbed to death, and another 2 families withs sons at the police station charged with stabbing him,Wearing earphones seems trivial compared to these.
Yeah, but don't tell them that. They're already feeling inadequate.
im a teenager and i would have to admit im not a headphone lad, infact i would say im one of the more sociable ones at the table, ever thort that they have there headphones in because your talking about absoloute sh!t?
thought
PlumzRichard - Member
im a teenager and i would have to admit im not a headphone lad, infact i would say im one of the more sociable ones at the table, ever thort that they have there headphones in because your talking about absoloute sh!t
?
Bike bits, road accidents, tv programes over christmas, what presents did you have etc, a bit like here really.
Just got back:
Went really well 🙂 - not an ipod in sight!
The lad had actually compiled a general knowledge quiz, (complete with a photocopied photo round!)and the lass came for a non whingy-walk with us round Heaton Park. I'm amazed.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions, the OP was submitted in a light hearted manner and some of your replies cracked me up:
The kids' mum is a bit of a rocker herself (bleached spiky hair, tattoos etc), one Uncle has dreadlocks and one Auntie used to be a hardcore traveller so yes, they are basically conforming - we've always said they will only shock any of us if they become accountants.
We always try to [s]educate them[/s] talk to them about music: The lad plays bass in a band and I've helped them out (when asked) with photography in the past, but they just didn't EVER want to communicate.
Looks like this might be the year they've actually grown up! Relief and mince pies all round.
save this thread and give it to them for a xmas present in years to come. they might like it.
Hi Rusty. The funny thing with kids is that just when they are at their most objectionable, you blink and suddenly they have grown up a bit.
Unless they are your kids, of course, which is when you hope to live long enough to see it happen.
I say don't do a thing - don't try to engage with them as they will see through it. You are you, let them be them. If they talk, talk back but no need to push your ideals on them.0