Kids on Mark Island

[steve-on-mark]

I was wondering if any families with teenagers come out to Mark Island for the weekends or during the week. My wife and I love the island life, but our 14 year old son is less than enthusiastic as it's sometimes difficult to get his "home friends" up there to hang out with him. We spend a lot of time working on the house, and he spends a lot of time playing video games inside. It would be awesome to find some " island friends" so that he can enjoy the lake the way it's meant to be!
Thanks !!
Steve

[Airwaves]

The only think I can tell you is to expose him to a group that sail or are involved in racing sailboats. At his age he can no longer pilot his own motorboat in NH (at least nothing over a rowboat with a 25 HP...not exactly a chick magnet!)

I recall when I was a teenager and I was forced...yes forced...to go to the lake with my grandparents every weekend and I hated every minute of it. Then I fell in love and things changed.

Hormones are raging...trade one problem for another and good luck!!!!

[jrc]

If I was 14 years old on Mark Island, I would definitely get me a small outboard, sailboat, canoe, kayak or rubber raft, then head on over to Timber. Every sunny weekend there are tons of kids in water there swimming off anchored boats. Some of them have bikinis, nothing like bikinis to take your mind off video games.

[meredith weekender]

We have 3 teenagers (13,14 & 16) and we are at the lake every weekend in the off season and 5 days a week in the summer. Your son needs a small (14') boat with an under 25 hp motor as well as a kayak. If you have the room, encourage him to bring a friend up all the time. You need to get him to want to come to the lake now, otherwise when he is 16 and older he will not want to come up. Good luck.:)

[eillac@dow]

Steve....I feel your pain. My son is 13 and we are on Dow Isl. We hate going off island but when the kids have no friends with them it can get to be a long week. We can handle the weekends, but a week! Yikes! It becomes....Mom, what can I do....Dad, can you take us for a jet ski ride.

Our island did have a good number of kids, but at this point they are now about 19 or older. It was great for my neices and nephews but not for my 13 and (just) 16 yr old daughter. So my kids have no-one on island.

Thankfully, my kids do get along! Every year we are somehow presented with a problem where he takes a friend and she does not....or vice versa. I do have one niece who is 14 and good friends with my daughter and she is coming with us again this year, but I have tried 2 of my sons friends and so far no luck.

I grew up on the island, but had many cousins along side me as the island was basically family owned. We had no TV (still no cable today), no X-box and all the other electronics. I did ok. I loved it. But today is a different story.

So I am in the same boat. I guess it just means more jet-ski rides for Mom and Dad!

Good Luck and I hope we have a great week of weather! :D

[steve-on-mark]

If he drives a boat with that video game mentality.... " let's see, am I the stand on or give way boat. Who cares... I was here first... I'm go'in! " Marine Patrol would put my cell phone # on speed dial. " Hi Steve, it's Joe from the Marine Patrol.... we pulled your boy off the Witches again! " :)

[codeman671]

If he drives a boat with that video game mentality.... " let's see, am I the stand on or give way boat. Who cares... I was here first... I'm go'in! " Marine Patrol would put my cell phone # on speed dial. " Hi Steve, it's Joe from the Marine Patrol.... we pulled your boy off the Witches again! " :)

Hey neighbor...Didn't know you were on here. Marie has been going crazy lately too. The weather has kept our company away this year. I'll probably see you this weekend.

J

[Island Life]

Steve, I sent you an email about some kids on a nearby island. Island Life

[steve-on-mark]

Hey neighbor...Didn't know you were on here. Marie has been going crazy lately too. The weather has kept our company away this year. I'll probably see you this weekend.

J

cool..... we're going to stay for the week!

[WinnDixie]

If he drives a boat with that video game mentality.... " let's see, am I the stand on or give way boat. Who cares... I was here first... I'm go'in! " Marine Patrol would put my cell phone # on speed dial. " Hi Steve, it's Joe from the Marine Patrol.... we pulled your boy off the Witches again! " :)

I'm sorry to chuckle, because I can well appreciate your dilemma...a bored 14-yr. old is a problem ( long time ago, but I can still remember!). I sure wouldn't have felt my 14 yr. old should have been operating a boat alone, either! The way you put it, however, is pretty funny (except--possibly-- to you and your 14 yr old!). I wish you luck, anyhow! I also can't help thinking of that huge gulf between kids and "the rest of us"...who'd mostly kill for the week on the lake! I'm old and mean--I know--but thanks for the laugh!

[steve-on-mark]

I'm sorry to chuckle, because I can well appreciate your dilemma...a bored 14-yr. old is a problem ( long time ago, but I can still remember!). I sure wouldn't have felt my 14 yr. old should have been operating a boat alone, either! The way you put it, however, is pretty funny (except--possibly-- to you and your 14 yr old!). I wish you luck, anyhow! I also can't help thinking of that huge gulf between kids and "the rest of us"...who'd mostly kill for the week on the lake! I'm old and mean--I know--but thanks for the laugh!

When I was a kid my dad would rent a camp at the lake for 1 or 2 weeks and we looked forward to that time all year! With no computers or video games we lived outside at home and did the same while on vacations. We had the use of a 16 ft. sailboat and a 12' aluminum boat with a 5 h.p. outboard and I lived in those things! I don't ever recall saying to my dad " hey...wouldn't it be cool if this boat had a gun turret! "...that's what I heard yesterday on the boat ride out to the island! I replied " I think you need a license for that....
Luckily he brought a friend from home this week.... a friend who loves to fish!
Maybe I'll start hiding those video game cd's now.... :D