Time with your teens is so important. My 4 sons are getting older. Thankfully (right now) they still like hanging out with us. I know the time will come when hanging out with mom and dad on the weekend isn’t the coolest thing in the world. I always knew having 4 sons, at the very least… they would always have each other. That – to me – was always comforting to know and to think about for them. But as they are getting older and they are becoming teenagers, I’m always looking for activities and fun things that we can do together. This past weekend I hit a homerun with finding the perfect family activity for spending time with your teens.

Big points for the mama here!

Tough Tiger is Perfect for Spending Time with Your Teens

Ben and Henry’s school had their BIG fundraiser this weekend called the “Tough Tiger!” It’s basically a tough mudder type race. You run through different obstacles and crawl through mud… everything my kids love and more! I couldn’t get over how excited my kids were for the race! They were so cute gearing up, getting pumped and ready to rock and roll!

As you can tell, we had some fun! Lots of fun! My sister watched Victoria, which was nice because for the first time in a long time I was able to focus solely on my guys. It was nice because usually I’m the one chasing after Victoria, so it was nice to run and laugh and be with my guys! As we ran through the course we laughed and joked and helped each other throughout. My husband isn’t a big runner, so it was tough for him at the beginning to get himself going and to keep himself going! It was awesome seeing the boys stay with us and want to make sure we were all OK as we went through the course.

So the BIG statement — HOW TO SPEND TIME WITH YOUR TEENS

My short answer?

Do things together, even when they don’t want to (believe me, they’ll come around!).

I’m very big on trying to constantly do things with each other. I don’t let any groaning or moaning from the boys stop me. I love being with them, so I want to make sure I do as much as possible with them. As kids get older you start to see your relationships change with them, it’s something that I’m becoming very aware of with my older sons. They don’t need me anymore to help them pick out clothes for school or make them breakfast. These subtle little changes are actually a little hard to swallow at times, but it’s a normal “growing up” phase in life. They need me for other things and that’s perfectly fine and (to be honest) I’m just still glad I’m needed!! I better ALWAYS be needed!!

Do things with your teens. Play tennis. Go to laser tag. Run a 5K. Plant a garden. Go mini golfing. Go shopping. Head to a waterpark. It doesn’t matter what you do, just DO. And keep doing!!! Be present. Be there. Be in the moment with them.

I promise… it’s the best thing you can do (even if you’re running through mud!).