# What do 13-year-old boys like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395 "2002-11-18T22:02:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/1 "2002-11-18T22:02:26Z")
…besides porn, baseball, Harry Potter, and 13-year-old girls (when they’re not still “icky”), that is. I have to get a Hannukah gift for my half-brother, who lives in NY, so it’s hard to know a) what he has already, and b) what he likes. I’ve tried asking him, but he just says “I don’t care” (he’s in that weird pre-pubescent ennui stage). Software and books on baseball are wearing thin…I need some fresh new ideas, preferably ones that are easy to mail! Bonus points if they’ll annoy the crap out of my stepmom. ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/2 "2002-11-18T22:09:06Z")
I’m going with the tried and true mall gift certificate for all my hard-to-buy-for people. You can probably find out what mall is near his home and buy one on line or over the phone. ---
**Author:** ![WSLer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/3 "2002-11-18T22:11:25Z")
A drum-kit. Trust me. That will **surely** annoy the hell out of the step-mom, if not drive her completely insane.😛 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/4 "2002-11-18T22:21:23Z")
Eighteen-year-old female baby sitters. Either that, or night-vision goggles. (Trust me on the goggles.) ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/5 "2002-11-18T22:28:07Z")
Are you anti-gift certificates? Because my 13-year-old nephew likes getting movie theatre gift certificates, but I know some people don’t like giving them. If he’s a baseball fan with a particular team, how about a jersey or a hat? I’d say tickets, but it’s a little early for that, sadly. Or CDs? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/6 "2002-11-18T22:34:44Z")
Last year I got both my niece and nephew (15 and 13, respectively) gift certificates to [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com). It went over very well. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/7 "2002-11-18T22:35:34Z")
Tickets to a sporting event or other “event” of his interest. Easy to order and mail. As for annoying step-mom, I third the drums although ease of mailing is an issue, unless you order it local to where he lives and have it delivered. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/8 "2002-11-18T22:36:41Z")
The other benifit to tickets is that you send the boy two tickets and your maybe your dad gets to be the one to take him to the game. So dad kinda gets a gift too. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/9 "2002-11-18T22:37:56Z")
Ditto on the drum, or another loud musical instrument, if the true goal is to drive the parent insane. Just so long as you never have to be a caregiver for him. Too bad you’ve ruled out porn. He’d stay quietly in his room for hours at a time, ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/10 "2002-11-18T23:33:14Z")
Try one of those online toy sites, if there are any left, they give you lists by age. Cash works for all ages 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/11 "2002-11-19T00:03:14Z")
If the budding internet had been what it is now in my personal 13-year-old “back then”, I would rate gift certificates to Amazon and similar very highly in the “good” category. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/12 "2002-11-19T00:04:47Z")
I recently bought some radio-controlled mini cars (Z-Cars). They’re surprisingly fun, and I’m sure a 13 year old would enjoy it. [http://www.microrcracing.com/store.htm](http://www.microrcracing.com/store.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Flowerchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/858c86/32.png) [@Flowerchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flowerchild)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/13 "2002-11-19T00:27:29Z")
does he have any kind of video game system ? if he does , and he likes baseball , get him one of those baseball video or computer games. I khnow boys like that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/14 "2002-11-19T00:42:48Z")
Here’s wacky idea, available in toy stores. It’s great for working through that adolescent agressive energy, even if he never figures out the secret. Get him a couple of pairs of Sock-em Boppers ™ by Big Time™. They’re huge inflatable boxing glove-like things with a sleeve inside for the user’s hand. Each one is about the size of a volleyball, and kids can flail away at each other until they’re tired without really hurting each other. If he’s a clever lad, he may figure out that, if he overinflates one and coats the inside with something slippery, he can slide something a bit smaller than his fist inside (nudge, nudge, wink, wink.) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/15 "2002-11-19T00:50:38Z")
Well, a pocket knife would be good and would possibly fall into the “annoy-the-stepmom” category, but even if you gave him something like the Leatherman micra, you’d probably come up against the local Jr. High zero tolerance policy, and you’d feel bad if one day the kid went to school with it and got busted. So I’d say something vaguely cool like an LED flashlight or maybe a cheap monocular. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/16 "2002-11-19T01:25:24Z")
How much can you spend? ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/17 "2002-11-19T01:50:28Z")
_Ender’s game_, by Orson Scott Card? A favorite of disaffected teens everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/18 "2002-11-19T01:50:30Z")
Ooh, an antfarm! You can mail those, I think, and it would creep out the stepmom. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/19 "2002-11-19T03:11:52Z")
Let me think back to when I was 13… **SEND PORN!!** oh wait… that’s on the “no” list… eh… send cash. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395/20 "2002-11-19T03:21:11Z")
Sea Monkeys. Very annoying. Baseball cards are safe. Comic books. A can or two of Tennis balls make good, relatively safe backyard baseballs. Big Bucket of Army Men. Cheap and surprisingly well received Risk board game Toast launcher [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-13-year-old-boys-like/137395.md?page=2)