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Hero Parenting! Gifts for Teens & Tweens They Will Actually LOVE :)
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items I'm a Gen X mom to a Gen Alpha tween boy, and finding great gifts for him can be really hard. I don't have a ton of money, so I feel so much pressure to spend it wisely. I sometimes think that he will like something, and my offering is met with an ey...
Hear me out!! I resisted buying this for over a year. My son begged and begged for one, and I finally caved last Christmas. Now instead of sitting on the sofa playing video games, he is now standing, moving, swinging his arms, and dancing around the living room. (At least that's what it looks like to me!) They link up with their friends and play immersive games with them. It is so cool to watch, and I'm so glad I made this choice. This is really the way of the future, and I feel like I finally got on board with the world he was born into. Of course… you need to limit the time spent on devices like this. Really, limit all gaming time. But if they are gaming anyways, wouldn't you prefer that they were up and moving around? And REALLY having a great time?
Meta Quest 3 VR Headset
A book that aims to help guide our beautiful teens toward a positive and calm mindset. This book has exercises to feel calm, stay focused & be your best self… all broken down into short 10 minute commitments. Lots of topics are covered, including... I love this for everyone actually! Your tween/teens may not see this as a gift… but they will eventually.
Mindfulness for Teens ( 10 Minutes a Day)
You may disagree with me… so feel free to skip this! But this is the age they are craving more freedom, and you are doing them a favor by letting them have it. Give them 50$ and drop them off at a fun mall with a trustworthy friend. Just for a couple hours, making sure they each have a phone and a sold meet up place and time. Gives you time to do some errands while your kid enjoys their ‘me’ time with a friend. It will be fun to catch up afterwards to see what they spent the money on, what they ate, and where they went shopping!
Leave Them At The Mall
My son wanted this. This is his ‘signature scent!’ I'm 100% here for it! It is earthy, and woody with a really unique finish that I can't describe. Anyways, my point is that our kids want to have things that are ‘their own.’ And a trip to Sephora (or wherever) to test colognes and perfumes can be really fun!!
Masculine & Moody Cologne
This is the time that they are starting smell funny… be concerned about their appearance and hygiene. They are DYING to find their signature scents!! This one is fresh, citrusy, feminine and full of positive energy!
Feminine & Refreshing Perfume
TBH, my son spent a lot of time researching the ‘best’ gaming keyboard, and this is what he came up with. I ‘surprised’ him with this gift, and he loves it so much! It is sleek, speedy and backlit with cool neon rainbow colors for gaming in low light. Programmable lights! In my opinion, if they are gaming already, get them the coolest gear to make their experiences more sigma! (is that the right way to use that word???)
Wireless Gaming Keyboard
My kid lives in these. And occasionally goes to school in them too. Hey!?!? At least he's dressed!! These are 60% cotton, 40% poly. A perfect blend (in my mind) of breathability and structure. And plaid is so classic, great for young men and women. And always looks awesome with a band t-shirt!!
Pajama Pants
They need a special spot to read all those book you bought them right? Your teen will sit in this chair upside down, sideways, but never properly, so buy some extra pillows for nesting! These kiddos want a place to read and study and text with their friends, and this chair rocks! (like actually rocks… it's a rocking chair) This chair is meant to be outside on the patio, but that just means that it is easy to clean. you know?
Huge Papasan Rocking Chair (Their new 'nest')
You put this on the table beside the Papasan rocking chair! These tweens/teens are starting to accumulate devices, and it's nice they can put them in one place to charge. NOT on the sofa or the kitchen counter :) I like that it has a built in clock… just to kill more birds with one stone. This one in particular charges quickly and is meant for iPhone 16/15/14/13/12/Pro Max, Apple Watch and AirPods. It even works as a night light!
Wireless Charging Station & LED Clock
My kid L-O-V-E-D this series!! About a young man surviving a plane crash and living in the woods alone. Great writing and story, he (12 yo) was actually engaged in the story and I didn't have to beg him to read.
Awesome Book Series About Survival
I'm not suggesting that you guess what they want and buy it…. Because I pretty much guarantee that you will get it wrong. But you can have them go on Redbubble to pick out a new case. That marketplace is full of a huge variety of artists and designers uploading art of all kinds. Italian Brainrot, Pop Maximalism... A lot of humor that we might not understand lives on Redbubble. I picked this case out because I think that Japancore (and everything Asian) is trending right now, and scrapbook style collage art is always cool in my opinion!!
Trendy New Phone Case
If you have a few extra dollars to spend, a tween/teen will really appreciate a popular authentic name-brand pair of kicks. Something in their favorite color. I usually shop at thrift stores for my kid, because he just grows just so darned fast! As a special treat, he really appreciates one really special pair of shoes that he will wear until his toes peek through the end. It makes him feel special, I can see it!
Killer Shoes
I know right?? These kisd love old band t-shirts! The girls and the boys… from tween to teen. When my son was 11, he picked out an old KISS shirt at the thrift store, and I asked him what he knew about KISS. And he knew a lot!! I was shocked. These kids have so much access to music now, they are actually listening to older music and loving it. Right now my boy is in year 2 of guitar lessons, and he is totally into Nirvana. I am so blessed!!!
Vintage Style Band T-Shirts
Beware, they will stick these everywhere… they will hand them out to their friends. There will be giggles and moans and screams galore. Kids love stickers! Whatever their age :)
400 Meme Stickers
Seriously, this thing is smaller than a smartphone. Anyways, they can film each other's skateboarding tricks or political commentary. Whatever they are into, they can whip this out and get it on film. Just beware, if you don't trust your child to only use this with other people's permission, then this may not be a great idea. **In the wrong hands, this could cause a lot of trouble, especially if kids are filming without permission and sharing videos for bullying and/or shaming purposes.
Tiny Vlogging Camera
Gamify the hygiene routine! I got my son a variety of different deodorants so he can use the one that speaks to his mood that day. He seems to be more excited to apply deodorant every morning :) This particular brand is aluminum free and good for sensitive skin. These scents are really nice, a little more subtle & refined, and good for men and women. …and of course, these ones look cool!
Deodorant Variety Pack
Card and Tabletop games are huge in our house. I play poker with my friends and family, and my son joins in now. He is really good! We never play for money, just for bragging rights! I always check if the other parents are amenable, but he plays poker with his friends now too. It's awesome! They have so much fun. Anyways, it's better that seeing them all sitting around scrolling on phones.
Big Poker Set
As long as the parents have noise-cancelling headphones, this is a great idea. All the kids I know would totally rock out with this thing. It's portable and bluetooth enabled. My son plays guitar and all his friends play some flavor of instrument, and they already ‘jam’ together. This will just sound worse… but they will have a... This is another thing on his wishlist. I just don't know if I'm ready for it yet :)
Karaoke Machine
We don't have this yet, but it's on his wishlist. Perfect for later in the evening games with friends, I'm sure it will look so cool flying around! There are other glow-in-the-dark balls on Amazon for evening games. golf balls, soccer balls, flying discs and more! Of course, I would never suggest playing in complete darkness. Someone's gonna get hurt :(
Glow in The Dark Football
I read these to my son at night just before bed. We are on the fifth book. I love this series so much because it follows Harry and his friends throughout their tween and teen years as they go similar life changes as our kids are going through. Great for girls or boys! And great for the imagination and sense of wonder :)
Harry Potter Books 1-7
Last, but certainly not least… a gift card for Amazon. I promise… they are building a wish list. Let them decide what they want!
Amazon eGift Card