House FULL of HS Boys for the Weekend.... (Full Version)

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csl7037 -> House FULL of HS Boys for the Weekend.... (8/1/2008 12:09:56 PM)

...any advice?

The youth at our church weren't able to go to camp this summer so they're doing this "Disciple Now" retreat here in town. But they want them to get away from their norm so they're all staying together - the MS girls, MS boys, HS girls at three different houses . . . the HS boys at our house! The other groups are relatively small - 4-6 kids . . . we just found out we've got 13 high school boys for the weekend!! Apparently four or five of them requested to be at our house. Two in particular are sons of good friends of ours and I know two others are good friends of one of those boys - those guys we know. A couple others asked to be here just from what they heard, I guess - Wii and big TV. It should be interesting.

I'm going to do pancakes tomorrow morning and pizza tomorrow night. That, and helping get them to and from church a few times is really all we're responsible for. I've got chips, cookies, sodas. What else should I have or do? What kind of ground rules do we need to keep this under control? I guess we can think of the obvious, and dh already has, but is there anything we might not think of? Any tips for getting my house (and me) through this unscathed??



daisies4u -> RE: House FULL of HS Boys for the Weekend.... (8/1/2008 12:27:42 PM)

You are a brave soul!!!

I would have a "family" meeting. I don't like to have "guests" in my home. I feel that if we know someone well enough to invite them to stay in our home, they are considered family.

Be light and funny. Tell them how much you enjoy having them there and to treat your home as their home. The main rule we have in our home is to be respectful of each other.

One game my kids like to play when they have company is Capture the Flag. You play it in the dark. You put hand towels in your back pocket or waistband and use flashlights to chase each other around the yard and try to cature the flag (towel).



42servehymn -> RE: House FULL of HS Boys for the Weekend.... (8/1/2008 5:25:45 PM)

Have them help out. They can set and clear dishes, load a dishwasher, sweep a floor and maybe help with cooking.



csl7037 -> RE: House FULL of HS Boys for the Weekend.... (8/1/2008 7:24:03 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: 42servehymn

Have them help out. They can set and clear dishes, load a dishwasher, sweep a floor and maybe help with cooking.


It's a retreat, they have things scheduled. They just have evenings and overnights and a little downtime here where they'll need to be occupied and controlled, to an extent.

And very few people are allowed in my kitchen - especially not teenage boys. Dh isn't even allowed to load my dishwasher.



artemis -> RE: House FULL of HS Boys for the Weekend.... (8/1/2008 9:07:00 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: csl7037
What kind of ground rules do we need to keep this under control? I guess we can think of the obvious, and dh already has, but is there anything we might not think of? Any tips for getting my house (and me) through this unscathed??


I'd recommend giving the kids a list of what they can do instead of what they can't. Like, "The snacks are right here, help yourself. You can play the Wii or watch these DVDs on the TV. Feel free to hang out in the living room or drag some chairs in here from the dinning room..." and so forth. It typically goes over better than "don't touch this" and "stay out of here." I've been a secondary teacher for 6 years and the kids are always very respectful of other people's things when they know what is "theirs to play with" and what isn't. And if you are readily available, they will usually ask if they aren't sure if they're allowed to do something. Have fun!



Karaboo2 -> RE: House FULL of HS Boys for the Weekend.... (8/4/2008 7:13:43 PM)

And just make sure you emphasize that whatever gets pulled out / moved, gets put back in the original spot!! [;)]



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