14 Year Old Nephew

Go to Michaels or Joann's (craft store) and buy him a couple of sketch books and colored markers or pencils. My daughter's friend didn't like anything but drawing and that is what I got her and she loved it.

1 mom found this helpful

Magazine subscription works for my son and I'm finally getting him the cell phone he's been asking for. TracFone has them pretty cheap and you can control the amount of time he has on it without the fear of big phone bills.

A Legos set (not the big ones, but the themed, lets make a space ship or pirate ship ones) Connectex... Magnetic building things. A bag of art supplies if he's artsy...A small tool set if he's more hands on...

Have you thought about model cars or air planes? If he's artsy he may like the painting process and detailing parts. Plus it's an indoor activity so it's right up his alley. Or any other building type kit to go with the wood burner. I'm not sure what tools he has available to him, but crafting books or wood carving tools are fun projects.

S.,

I don't know if hes into board games or not, but I got my kids the game BLOKUS TRIGON. It has all these triangle shapes that you need to fit on the gameboard. It is really cool. My boys love it, and so do thier friends. The way the game is made you can even play a form of solitare with it. Good luck.

Hi S.,

I know your pain. My stepson is 16 and virtually impossible to shop for. I simply get him what he likes best...gift cards! Seriously, it is not impersonal. It gives him the general freedom to pick something he wants, within his mother's approval. Kids love to have that "money" in their wallet to go spend. It is much better than getting him something he may not like. That is a waste of money for you and an uncomfortable situation for all. Go with a good gift card to somewhere neutral like Meijer or Target where he has a variety to choose from.

Cash. My son always wants things I won't buy for him. Gift money is his to spend. Or, I'm not sure if they're a good investment anymore, but a savings bond will make mom happy, and eventually him! My husband is into collector coins and we've given those knowing they'll appreciate over time. Not very exciting for them at the time. Models to build are great for kids that age, but we find they don't have the patience like my brothers did. There are paper airplane books that my sons have gotten and liked. These days instant gratification is all that works, but if he's creative, maybe a kit from JoAnn's may interest him. Magic trick kits have been a hit too.

How about a gift card to his favorite store or a store that is difficult for his family to afford? Also movie gift cards for time when the teens want to go to a movie with friends. My kids 12 and 14 use the theater cards and it helps me by saving $20 to $30 dollars.

S.,

I noticed in all the things your nephew doesn't do is that he does like to draw and I'm sure you mean he enjoys art. You could get him an art set which would include different media to work with (oils, pastels, pencils) and some sketching paper. Sounds like your nephew is like a lot of other teens I read about here and needs to expand his horizons and interests beyond video games. There has to be other hidden interests that need to be nurtured and encouraged, talk to your sister and see if she knows what these things are and take it from there.

S.