Whether you love your parents to death or simply tolerate them, they are a huge part of your life. And since you have to hang out with them occasionally, why not make the most of it? Try these activities with your parents, and you just might find yourself enjoying their presence instead of counting the minutes until you can make your escape.
Watch the Touchstone Movies of Their Youth
Find some movies on your “to rent” list that were important to your parents when they were growing up. Think cultural touchstones: "Bonnie and Clyde" set the tone for violent action movies for decades; "Animal House" and "Caddyshack" established the standards for juvenile gross-out comedies; and "When Harry Met Sally" blazed trails for romantic comedies.
These movies are great to share and they give you some ammo for future arguments: "Caddyshack" is way more inappropriate than "Superbad," and the ending of "Bonnie and Clyde" totally romanticizes violence. So next time they start finger-wagging at modern culture, you can remind them that they used to get their kicks from the same questionable things.
Childhood Neighborhood Tour
It’s a legitimately interesting experience to walk (or drive) through your parents' childhood neighborhoods. Check out the houses they grew up in, the elementary schools they attended, and the places where they played with friends. Find out where they played baseball, which rhymes they chanted as they jumped rope, or which old houses they tried to light on fire (my dad had some interesting pastimes as a child). The next time they get nostalgic and start reminiscing about growing up in Twin Pines/Beaverville/Rivertown, you can put some images to their stories.
The Theater (or Theatre, if you must)
Get them to take you to a play! Even if you’re not into analyzing The Glass Menagerie in your spare time, seeing actors performing onstage is always a fun way to spend an evening. The great thing about this suggestion is they’ll think you want to expand your horizons. Plus, they can’t refuse to buy your ticket, because parents feel obliged to expose you to the high arts, even if they would prefer to stay home and watch "Everybody Loves Raymond" reruns.
Summer Oldies Concerts
There are a slew of great (or once-great) bands that refuse to throw in the towel but can’t really command the crowds they once did, which equals free summer concert for you! Blue Oyster Cult, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, and even Ringo Starr perform free summer concerts on the oldies circuits now and then. Sure, you might be surrounded by mullets and monster truck t-shirts, but how can you pass up singing “Don’t Fear the Reaper” with your mom?
Mini-Golf!!
Is mini-golf ever not fun? So far, tests indicate it is always a good idea. And it's an especially good option if you and the 'rents don’t have much to say to each other, because waterfall hazards give you something to focus on other than awkward silences. Bonus: If you whack the ball too hard and hit a parked car, relax. You are with a parent, which makes the responsibility theirs.
Word Games
Scrabble and Boggle create great opportunities to show off. After all, you know an array of bizarre words after recently being forced to read Jane Eyre and Macbeth. Dad’s vocabulary, on the other hand, has slowly been deteriorating with every Dean Koontz novel he reads over the years. So get your game on and prepare for an easy victory.
What activities do you enjoy doing with your parents? Is spending time with them rewarding, a necessary obligation, or some combination of the two?
By: Joe_Lynch
Topics: Life
Tags: parents, activities, games, oldies
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