So my GF has a 5 year old son and I want to spend some quality time with him so we can do some bonding. What are some cool fun guy things we can do during the evening on a weeknight? I was thinking of maybe going to Frankies Fun park or something. Anybody else have an idea?

1/15/2008 10:47:26 AM

You can teach him to be a dick of a moderator on a meager internet message board.

1/15/2008 10:50:16 AM

damn, g

i guess i'd say like tag, or going to a playground or something like that

idk this is hard, my mom always told me not to get up with a chick that has a kid

1/15/2008 10:50:47 AM

Fetch? I'm not real sure. Just anything to try and get them introduced to sports so they don't turn into a TWWer. j/k

1/15/2008 10:54:28 AM

i'd love to do something outdoors but it gets dark by 6 and its going to be cold as balls weds night.

As far as dating a woman with a child, I used to feel the same way but then again I really fell for this woman and I didn't want to limit myself and end something that could be great, which it turns out was the best decision on my life.

1/15/2008 10:57:07 AM

If you can get tickets to a Canes game, that is great to do with a kid his age. It's something he will remember for a long time and I'm sure he'll still be talking about it for years. Actually any kind of sports game would be good, college b-ball or even high school. You have to remember, when you are 5, the world around you seems much bigger. I remember my dad taking me to a high school basketball game when I was really young and having a blast.

1/15/2008 10:58:56 AM

im newish to raleigh but do you guys have something that is the equivalent of Discovery Place in Charlotte? Imax?

1/15/2008 11:06:44 AM

there is a dinosaur exhibit at the science museum, but i'm not sure what time it closes. see what is playing at the imax at exploris.

1/15/2008 11:09:00 AM

oh yeah...exploris would be fun too. good suggestion!!

damn...its only open until 5. I need something to do from 6 - 8.

[Edited on January 15, 2008 at 11:14 AM. Reason : ...]

1/15/2008 11:13:19 AM

i remember when i was very young my dad would take me down to where the basketball team ran out from the locker room and onto the floor at reynolds. i thought seeing them was the most amazing thing ever with how tall they were and that they played college basketball.

now... not so much. but when you are that small/young it does seem really cool.

1/15/2008 11:16:40 AM

Quote :

"If you can get tickets to a Canes game, that is great to do with a kid his age."

i think its pretty safe to say you can get a ticket to the game...its hockey in raleigh



also there is a museum type place out toward durham that my mom used to take me and my friends to when i was young that has all kinds of hands on shit you can do...forget what it is though...they had a huge maze and all these exhibits

1/15/2008 11:17:53 AM

He might be a little young but laser tag might be fun.

1/15/2008 11:24:00 AM

awesome recommendations guys. i just bought tickets to the NCSU vs GA Tech game for next week.

1/15/2008 12:07:55 PM

Chuck E Cheese

1/15/2008 12:20:14 PM

musuem downtown

1/15/2008 12:21:48 PM

cool. try to get there (very) early and see if there is anyway the guys working the floor will let you and him stand down beside the court for a little bit.

1/15/2008 12:22:13 PM

Quote :

"Frankies Fun park "

good for a limited time, not really bonding.

sports games are def. a plus. i plan on taking my son to them when he is old enough.

i'd take him somewhere he would be able to run around.

there is a great children's museum downtown, not exploris.

hell even play catch with the kid, i'm sure he'll love that. maybe boccie, i loved that when i was little.

take pictures with the kid. polaroids, so there is instant gratification.

1/15/2008 12:34:37 PM

I think Imax is playing Polar Express right now.

The best museum to take a kid that age is the museum of life and science in Durham. Very hands on, there's a park and a butterfly observatory. Pack a lunch and make a day out of it.

Kids that age always love Frankie's, but get prepared to hemorrhage some cash. It’s crazy $$$ to do all the fun stuff!

1/15/2008 12:55:12 PM

i made a thred on this a while back, actually got some really good feedback but it looks like its been purged

1/15/2008 1:42:04 PM

play the 'i'm not your real daddy' game

1/15/2008 1:51:09 PM

you can take him to the all childrens playground on edwards mill, there is an indoor blowup jumping castle thingy (like at carnivals) in cary that my godsons had a blast at. I also second the meausems, cains games. You could take him iceskating during free skate one night. You could take him to build-a-bear or something to make a bear for mom, that would be cool bonding for yall and for her. There is an indoor playground in triangle town mall. Or you could take him to michaels and get a bunch of art stuff and let him go nuts at the house. You could call a local fire department and see if they would let you take him on a tour in the evening.

I generally like to let my godkids do things that i know mom normally wouldn't that ways its a little more special to them. So mabey think of things that mom doesn't normally do with him and try do something out of the ordinary. Youll end up bonding with him alot especially if you get into a routine, like every thursday is pizza and hockey or whatever. Kids like routines and it would give him something to look forward to in the future and give him a positve association asside from "mom's boyfriend"

my godsons are 5 and 3 and i have them frequently

1/15/2008 1:52:08 PM

My cousins love to go to Krispy Kreme and watch the doughnuts get made. It's also neat for them to get to eat hot doughnuts when it's not breakfast time!

1/15/2008 2:35:42 PM

doughnuts and a firehouse tour are great ideas.

1/15/2008 2:38:14 PM

"it's the claw.... you're afraid of the claw"

1/15/2008 2:40:05 PM

Thanks Jen!! Yeah I plan on making this an every Weds evening thing since his mother has to work Weds nights. Unfortunately, since its winter time and its cold and gets dark by the time I get him, that really limits me to out door activities. So I was looking for stuff that I can do in the evenings during the week. Most museums are closed by 5. That indoor playground sounds cool. I can't wait for the spring and summer....then things can get really fun!!

1/15/2008 2:50:15 PM

your welcome. I was trying to think about things that could be done inside because i know it is cold and its hard to find things to do inside. This was the blow up place i was talken bout. Its really great when you want them to sleep really hard. http://www.jumpinbeans.com/


i actually didn't think about the krispy cream thing but the boys FUCKING LOVE IT. So that was a great idea ^^^^

1/15/2008 2:56:07 PM

Quote :

"The best museum to take a kid that age is the museum of life and science in Durham."

thats the place i was talking about..

its awesome

i'd probably go back today and play on shit

1/15/2008 2:59:43 PM

He may be a little too young, but look into what kind of indoor rock walls are around here. Climbing is fun for kids and adults.

Here's one:
http://raleighrockyard.com/

[Edited on January 15, 2008 at 3:09 PM. Reason : .]

1/15/2008 3:07:03 PM

go fishing

when it warms up

I loved fishing with my dad

1/15/2008 3:39:20 PM

Fishing is a great idea. Just take him somewhere that he'll catch a ton of fish even if they're tiny bream or white perch. Kids don't have the attention span to be happy fishing all day for one or two decent fish.

1/15/2008 3:45:16 PM

These are all awesome ideas and it's cool that you want to do things with him.

If you are planning on doing this every Wednesday, although the ideas are cool, I wouldn't do something special every time you go out.

Especially at five, kids can have an awesome time with just about anything. Fast food with one of the indoor play areas is fun and cheap, as are pizza and a movie.

Heck, depending on how involved the dad is with the kids, (especially boys) are going to be all about you just going over there, sitting down, and playing games with him.

1/15/2008 3:46:57 PM

tell him about how youre banging out his mom

1/15/2008 3:50:22 PM

All good ideas - I do want to caution you to wash/sanitize his hands frequently at a place like Jumpin' Beans where you have kids licking everything and no real standards for cleaning like at a children's museum. You also have the bowling alley across the street there and Cary Ice House & Jellybeans for skating all within a block or two.

If he likes trains, take him to South Hills Mall where Tom's Train Shop has a nice display set up in the middle of the mall, plus there's the store itself. This is great because it's free.

1/15/2008 4:28:25 PM

1/15/2008 4:36:56 PM

Adventure Landing/Go Karts
NC History Museum
Basketball/some other sport
More of a Saturday activity, but the NC Zoo in Asheboro would be great

1/15/2008 4:38:56 PM

Has anyone ever been to the Marbles Kids Museum downtown? I am thinking of taking the kids I babysit there on Friday.

http://www.marbleskidsmuseum.org/

1/15/2008 4:43:43 PM

If this was chit chat...


...I'm just saying

1/15/2008 4:51:31 PM

Here's an answer to your question that any 5 year old would agree with.

http://pumpitupparty.com/StoreMap.aspx?StoreID=44&PageName=StoreMap.aspx

1/15/2008 5:02:18 PM

Why not ask him what he wants to do?

1/15/2008 5:13:03 PM

Quote :

"If this was chit chat... ...I'm just saying"

1/15/2008 5:23:19 PM

beat the kid


im just sayin the bastard probably needs it

1/15/2008 5:24:03 PM

you could just teach him to work a pole like mama, but thats too obvious

1/15/2008 7:28:27 PM

Quote :

"As far as dating a woman with a child, I used to feel the same way but then again I really fell for this woman and I didn't want to limit myself and end something that could be great, which it turns out was the best decision on my life. "

well done, sir.

1/15/2008 7:35:34 PM

Chuck E. Cheese

1/15/2008 7:43:37 PM

Pick up two coloring books and a huge box of crayons and just sit and color with him...it will be amazing the things a 5 year old can tell you while you're just coloring

You remember what it was like to get a new coloring book and a huge box of 64 crayons...the kid will think you're amazing! Just remember at the age of 5 simple things can still be just as awesome as someone our age getting a new car.

[Edited on January 15, 2008 at 8:18 PM. Reason : ]

1/15/2008 8:16:07 PM

thanks everyone for your input. tonight I plan on doing that very exact thing. just hanging out, coloring and playing games, probably memory. next weds I'm taking him to the basketball game so I'm stoked about that. i can't wait for it to warm up so we can start playing games outside. I bought him a nice t-ball set for Christmas that I can't wait to break out.

concerning his father, he has no involvement at all.

1/16/2008 9:25:09 AM

id teach him how fun it is to rake the lawn.

and when hes done with that, the joys of washing my car in january.


free labor yo

free labor

1/16/2008 10:06:19 AM

^
builds character

1/16/2008 10:13:28 AM

1/16/2008 12:01:09 PM

If this is going to be a regular thing, you want to keep it low key & low budget. I would suggest going to the play area at Triangle Town Center. It's not fancy, but my daughter loves it.

1/16/2008 2:58:06 PM