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My wife and I had some old friends from College here in Washington DC over the weekend. They had four teenage kids. (We do not have children so are not always sure what they are interested in)
Anyway, we brought them down to Washington DC and did a tour of the Capital, the White House and the Museums on the National Mall. All four were just miserable, bored silly and could not wait to get back to their hotel room where they could swim and watch ESPN. (Which they could do at home). The next day we went to Mount Vernon (The home of George Washington), they were bored silly.
Is this to be expected? Would most teenagers be so bored at the Smithsonian Museums, the Capital and White House and similar attractions?
(Is it the fault of the parents for not encouraging intellectual interests from an early age or would that be impossible because they are kids?)
I loved museums as a teenager, but I was a bit of a geek and not at all at speed with the in crowd. I expect most teens would probably be rebellions of anything they didn't choose to do themselves, but at some point in their lives they will probably appreciate that you took them. In any case, at least you gave them the opportunity. Whether they decide to waste it or use it is up to them, and nothing you should worry yourself over.
Don't be so quick to blame the parents tho, not every one's interests are the same....that includes teenagers.
Understanding the dynamics of being a teenager has it's own challenges, my wife (Jane) and I said afterwords that if we had chosen to have children and they were 16-18 years old now we are sure that they would have been brought up to enjoy museums, the arts, travel and learning just for the sake of education and would not have been so bored visiting museums if we visited friends in another city. OR COULD WE REALLY? Parents?
When you are talking The Smithsonian, The Capitol and Mount Vernon, you are talking about History. Historic sites are naturally contrary to where older teens want to be, unless they have a passion for it, and that's a very individual thing. Most older teens want to be in something current or something futuristic and something interactive. Science museums work better, for example as they get hands on fun going.
If the parents really thought their teens would benefit quite a bit from it, they could have sold them on it beforehand, and maybe they would have enjoyed it more.
My 11 yr old daughter has a great interest in science and only minimal in history. My 6 yr old son has a great interest in government and none for history. If that were to continue into their teens, I'd likely skip Mount Vernon, spent a short time in the museum and then find out what else we could have done to engage them.
Personally, I never ever had an interest in history itself, but ironically I enjoyed visiting Mount Vernon when I was in high school. But then again, I was with my senior class and not my family....so that likely made a difference. haha
History didn't interest me very much when I was younger, and I'm not sure show my kids would react. Like hypocore said, some kids just can't relate to it. Historical sites seem like they would frequently be silent places where people stand in quiet contemplation and can't touch anything.
We take our kids places like zoos and aquariums. We visited the Field Museum in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, and all three kids loved it. We want to go to the Museum of Science and Industry too. These places are very interactive with lots of things the kids can touch and feel connected to.
I really think it is an individual thing. My kids (15, 13, 10) love history and love museums and historical tours. But many of their friends would be bored silly. I think it varies by kid.
I think the schools are to blame because the teachers dont make history interesting anymore . I loved the smithsonian and could not wait to get back . I loved it and also loved art museums and love to read and still do love to read . I credit that to one of my teachers ,the love of reading that is . I think teens have too much these days , the internet , the pda s and the blackberrys . Those video game stations there is just too much at their hands these days to be interested in how we got where we are.
The museums in Washington DC we visited included: Air and Science, Art, Natural History, American History and Indians. So they varied.
If most kids are going to be bored there then why do so many parents drive or fly from all over the world to come to Washington DC with their kids in tow? Every time I go to the National Mall area in Washington DC it is just jammed with families. Are most with teenagers so bored and miserable?
There is so much variety in exhibits at the Smithsonian, I'm kind of surprised that something didn't spark their interest, but I agree with previous posters that a love of history usually hits later in life. Also, none of those places are particularly interactive. Even Mount Vernon is a lot of plain walking and looking, unless you plan ahead to participate in one of their interactive events.
But, all that said, was there something they did that indicated that they were bored silly, like whining and complaining? Even if they seemed a bit under-enthused, they may have gotten more out of it than they let on.
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