iregeo~ LOL!
Then we will take turns, you get the pup one week, I get the boy the next week~

gotribe. i think you have great ideas. i personally prefer the idea of the gift certificate for dinner at a nice restaurant (the spa thing, although great, would exclude the hubby which isn't really fair since it's his house too), and a little souvenir from your trip.
i wouldn't do groceries because it would say to her that she had to cook what you brought..but your son's favorite snacks would be good.
have a great vacation.

It's a deal!

caribtraveler, I'm glad you agree with me about not bringing groceries (although in her family, that might go over great, I don't know, of course)BUT in my family, I have some, who if I walked in with bags of groceries, would say to me, "Hey, you think I can't afford to feed my nephew?" OR "How do you know what I'm going to want to cook next week?" OR "Do you think he won't like my usual dinners?" REALLY! I hope most families aren't like mine that way!;-)

Thinking about past visits to me from friends/relatives and also remembering posts here - as the host, to me the one and only important thing is whether or not the guest offers and actually helps out a little - or at least takes care of himself. Your kid sounds like a good kid - so this should be easy.

Make sure he understands specifically what "help out" means. Such as helping clean up after meals, not leaving a "debris trail" around the house. Some will depend on how particular a housekeeper your sister is. Since you did not mention cousins, she is probably not used to teenage stuff all over the house. Make sure your son understands that even if his aunt or grandmother says "No, that's OK, just leave it there" that that is just something polite adults say and he should clean it up anyway.

If he once did something extra (like mow the lawn as you mentioned), he will be most prized house guest.

Hmmm - I must live on a different planet - family-wise. A sister's son is a nephew. That's close family as far as I'm concerned.
Whenever any of my nieces or nephews stay with me, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to spend time with them and to get to know them better.
Personally I would not want, or expect, a "gift" in return - it would feel too much like a commercial transaction. Ugh!!

So gotribe - I would say that you know your sister best, and if you see something special that she would love while you are on your vacation, then bring it back as a souvenir.
Otherwise, just give her a big hug and tell her how much she means to you and how glad you are to have her as a sister!!!

But they drink 1 gallon of milk a day!
I agree with the idea of a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant
or some other gift you think they might like. Even with family, I do bring "bread and butter" gifts or forward some kind of treat after a stay.
BTW~since he is quiet, takes out the trash and mows the lawn, he can come stay at my house after he visits Scarlett. The teen-agers of our families like the guest room here..they have TV and the computer.

I would bring certain foods/snacks your son likes so they are there for him. He will be in a different enviroment and he may be uncomfortable telling his aunt what he may or may not want. Think about what would make your son more comfortable not your sister, she should understand. Get your sister/husband a dinner gift card so they can go out for nice evening once they are alone again. It also wont hurt to bring a lil token back with you for them esp if your going somewhere nice.

gotribe,
what a nice summer your dear boy will have, being passed from your family to me to PamSF, to ? He will have to post a report when he returns home in the fall :D
Pup is very excited and I won't have the lawn cut until he arrives~

Bluestructure, from your post:

"I would bring certain foods/snacks your son likes so they are there for him. He will be in a different enviroment and he may be uncomfortable telling his aunt what he may or may not want. Think about what would make your son more comfortable not your sister, she should understand."

If you mean what you've said, then I disagree. We're talking about a teenage boy here, not a toddler, and her sister is doing her a big favor, inviting this nephew into her home for a week. Maybe our family is weird, but you eat what you are offered when you visit each other (and I would assume the aunt is aware of her nephew's likes and dislikes, too.) Since the aunt is gracious enough to extend an invitation to her nephew, I think HER comfort is paramount! Children are, after all, children....... (dear and lovable as they are!)

gotribe -

I have kept my niece for my sister plenty of times since she was a baby (now she is 12) and I never expected or wanted a thing. I love and adore my niece and since hubby and I do not have kids yet, it is great fun to have her around. When she was real small, my sister would bring items she knew we might not have for her (ie toddler snacks). Now, I am well aware of her Frosted Flake morning addiction and her love of Cheezeits so I have them for her when she arrives. Heck, it is an excuse to eat like a kid for me as well. LOL My sister usually brings me back a gift from wherever she has been but it is honestly not something I expect or require. I would never accept money!!

When my kids stay at their aunts or uncles' homes, we always cook a meal or two, freeze it and send it along with snacks etc. Enough food to make it easier on the household without sending the message that I think my sister/sister-in-law won't feed my kids. I would never ever ever give a gift certificate for a supermarket. That would definitely offend. We always bring souveniers back for the parents and their kids but that's because we want to not because we have to.

We babysit our nieces fairly regularly and their parents babysit our kids too. My kids think its a big treat to stay with their cousins and vice versa. My sister in law actually asks my husband and I to go away because she loves having my girls over. They are older than her babies and are a big help to her. And I adore having her kids over because I love having tons of kids around.

While it may be out of line to offer your family money, it's unthinkable to leave a teenager with no spending money of their own. I personally think that is just down right unfair to him and your family to assume they will foot the bill for everything. Atleast give him the option to take his relatives out to lunch. I think it will make your son feel a little more like a member of the family and a little less like a child being baby sat.

Everybody here is pretty much on the same wave length. I do as many above have mentioned:
1. Child has own spending money. (My kids bring some of their allowance money in case they end up going shopping.)
2. I send along their favorite SNACKS and drinks - of the type they can "prepare" themselves - not dinners!
3. I buy a gift cert for local restaurant that would cover the whole gang, including my kids and hosts.
4. I bring back a gift from wherever I went.
You are so lucky to have family where you know your son will be safe and welcome for a whole week! Have a wonderful trip!

Bonniebroad, your prev comment is what made me say something to begin with. You can never justify dropping off anyone, kid or teen w/o any provisions. He did say his son is quiet and has a HEARTY appetite so its common sense and good manners to have bring some snacks NOT boxes of hamburger helper and a 1lb of ground beef....

I think you have it all right there Dreamer2. cool, you hit it right on the spot.

Bluestructure, sorry but I just can't agree with you, unless you are absolutely sure that dropping off food of any kind would not offend the hosts. And I assumed that since the poster asked, she wasn't sure. Now maybe it's different in the part of the South here where I grew up.... but especially with family, you really don't expect people to bring their own food when they visit, even a teenage boy. Now if you and your family understand each other and have agreed to do that, it is fine, but when in doubt, I would not do it. But, hey, different strokes and all that...... JMHO :-)

I guess the key word was snacks and nothing else to make a dinner meal out of. Snacks that his uncle/aunt may not normally have in the house, thats all.

bonniebroad, I agree with you. If I showed up to any of my family members or in-laws with food for my child, I think they'd be highly insulted. Of course, that didn't stop my m-i-l from bringing her own ground beef to a bbq at my home last summer!!! Go figure!

Barring some financial difficulties, if my son had peculiar eating habits that others were unaware of, I'd discuss them with the caretaker, rather than provide the food. After all, you want things to go as smoothly as possible. Then, I'd bring a nice gift when I returned from my trip, keeping the caretakers' tastes in mind.

Bluestructure, so much depends on who you're dealing with, I guess. I could take anything to my sister's, and she with me......... but my brothers are a different story!:-( Sounds to me as though *gotribe* has a pretty close family, so I'm sure they'll be happy with whatever she does!