HELP! what do I do with a 9 year old boy?

I have been looking after a friends son since early afternoon and he has just gone home and I am absolutely shattered.

His mum has gone to the UK with his two little brothers and he has stayed behind with his dad as he was there just a couple of weeks ago. I have him again on Saturday and he is sleeping over as his dad is working so how do I keep him amused and me sane.

I am not used to boys having only daughters and grand-daughters who are easy, but today we have painted space marines, played a computer game, he helped make a jam sponge for dinner and looked at a large book we have on the Wild West. He is very good but everything is a million questions, why, what, how.

Please please give me some ideas of how to keep him amused for several hours. We will go to the beach at some point and walk the dogs but I hope not to have to resort to switching on the TV.

(I would have liked to get involved with the AI thread but my brain is frazzled) so I think a relatively early night.

Queenie wrote:I have been looking after a friends son since early afternoon and he has just gone home and I am absolutely shattered.

His mum has gone to the UK with his two little brothers and he has stayed behind with his dad as he was there just a couple of weeks ago. I have him again on Saturday and he is sleeping over as his dad is working so how do I keep him amused and me sane.

I am not used to boys having only daughters and grand-daughters who are easy, but today we have painted space marines, played a computer game, he helped make a jam sponge for dinner and looked at a large book we have on the Wild West. He is very good but everything is a million questions, why, what, how.

Please please give me some ideas of how to keep him amused for several hours. We will go to the beach at some point and walk the dogs but I hope not to have to resort to switching on the TV.

(I would have liked to get involved with the AI thread but my brain is frazzled) so I think a relatively early night.

A gallon of gripe water should quieten him down...

Take him to monkey park. The key to boys is letting them beat you at things,perhaps find out where he normally goes on a Saturday, perhaps he will have mates there that he normally plays with. You could sit and have coffee read the paper with one eye.
Also ask him what he fancies doing, you may be surprised at the answer.
Hope this helps your day go easier.

Topdog wrote:Take him to monkey park. The key to boys is letting them beat you at things,perhaps find out where he normally goes on a Saturday, perhaps he will have mates there that he normally plays with. You could sit and have coffee read the paper with one eye.
Also ask him what he fancies doing, you may be surprised at the answer.
Hope this helps your day go easier.

Yes I was surprised when he asked if he could help me make the pudding, after dinner he declared it crackin and he wrote the recipe down so he could make it when his mum comes home next week as a surprise I love Monkey Park so we may do that, but don´t really want to get involved with friends especially if it's something like football I might be expected to be goalie

Very surprising how many young males enjoy cooking and especially baking, even better if you let them lick the bowl.
Good luck.

Bring him to the cinema or let him choose a dvd to watch. I know you said you wanted to keep him away from the TV but everyone deserves some chill out time

Give him some bits of wood, a hammer and a few nails and ask him to make you a garden ornament.

Boys love building.

Take him to the pool, he will burn off all his excess energy and sleep like a baby

Get him insured first, boys love bruising!

Perfectspecimen wrote:Get him insured first, boys love bruising!

6 PINTS OF BEER.

We have been playing Battle Ships and I won so the boys have now gone to the park with the dogs - Boys hate to be beaten by girls

He is making a chocolate cake for pudding when they get back and when he goes home is taking half for his Dad.

So far so good and not as worn out as in the week. :Happy:

Queenie wrote:We have been playing Battle Ships and I won so the boys have now gone to the park with the dogs - Boys hate to be beaten by girls

He is making a chocolate cake for pudding when they get back and when he goes home is taking half for his Dad.

So far so good and not as worn out as in the week.

Haha! What's it like being a mum again?

Queenie wrote:We have been playing Battle Ships and I won so the boys have now gone to the park with the dogs - Boys hate to be beaten by girls

He is making a chocolate cake for pudding when they get back and when he goes home is taking half for his Dad.

So far so good and not as worn out as in the week.

This could be your new Job looking after boys.

Queenie wrote:We have been playing Battle Ships and I won so the boys have now gone to the park with the dogs - Boys hate to be beaten by girls

He is making a chocolate cake for pudding when they get back and when he goes home is taking half for his Dad.

So far so good and not as worn out as in the week. :Happy:

You must be a lot fitter now,better and cheaper than a gym.He will have to teach you how to do this next

Foster Carer training available.................................................. :Big Smile: :Big Smile: