Teaching my son, new bowler

[Phonetek]

My son is 13 and he nor his siblings have ever shown a shred of interest in bowling. Last weekend we went with some friends. It was the first time in many years since I've thrown a ball. As it turned out it was old hat and I was shooting low to mid 200's for some reason without even being really serious about it. It was cosmic so it's tough to be serious with strobes flashing in your eyes making you see dots. Nonetheless I did well and my middle son had his jaw on the floor watching. He heard stories I've told about bowling how I was 6 yrs old blah blah blah but he never really watched before. Needless to say my son went Coocoo for Cocopuffs about bowling now. He wants to know all there is to know. He asked if I would teach him. I agreed to on the condition that he take it seriously and do what I tell him.
First lesson is how to do the 4 step approach. Since were kinda lacking funds right now, I can't really take him to the bowling alley to practice we are settling for him sliding around the house on the wood floors practicing the approach. I actually picked up a kids bowling set from Toys R us and we set the pins up outside and he's practicing by using a 12" softball. Yeah these methods are crude but it's getting the job done. An actual lanes isn't really required since I could care less how he throws a ball until he learns the approach. It's completely irrelevant until then.
However, I do have a question. He's bowled about 12 games his entire life. He hasn't bowled enough to be used to a certain grip on a ball since he's only used house balls that don't fit worth a darn anyway. Before we do hit the lanes for the first time I am getting him a ball. It will be new, cheap, round and drilled properly. I'm wondering if I should just drill it fingertip right out of the gate since he really wouldn't know the difference anyway with the very limited exposure he's had. Figuring it would be easier to start him that way than transition later? What do you guys think about that?

[J Anderson]

My son is 13 and he nor his siblings have ever shown a shred of interest in bowling. Last weekend we went with some friends. It was the first time in many years since I've thrown a ball. As it turned out it was old hat and I was shooting low to mid 200's for some reason without even being really serious about it. It was cosmic so it's tough to be serious with strobes flashing in your eyes making you see dots. Nonetheless I did well and my middle son had his jaw on the floor watching. He heard stories I've told about bowling how I was 6 yrs old blah blah blah but he never really watched before. Needless to say my son went Coocoo for Cocopuffs about bowling now. He wants to know all there is to know. He asked if I would teach him. I agreed to on the condition that he take it seriously and do what I tell him.
First lesson is how to do the 4 step approach. Since were kinda lacking funds right now, I can't really take him to the bowling alley to practice we are settling for him sliding around the house on the wood floors practicing the approach. I actually picked up a kids bowling set from Toys R us and we set the pins up outside and he's practicing by using a 12" softball. Yeah these methods are crude but it's getting the job done. An actual lanes isn't really required since I could care less how he throws a ball until he learns the approach. It's completely irrelevant until then.
However, I do have a question. He's bowled about 12 games his entire life. He hasn't bowled enough to be used to a certain grip on a ball since he's only used house balls that don't fit worth a darn anyway. Before we do hit the lanes for the first time I am getting him a ball. It will be new, cheap, round and drilled properly. I'm wondering if I should just drill it fingertip right out of the gate since he really wouldn't know the difference anyway with the very limited exposure he's had. Figuring it would be easier to start him that way than transition later? What do you guys think about that?

With a 13 year old I would lean toward fingertip right off the bat.

[Phonetek]

I'll be ordering his ball, bag and shoe combo online in about a month when I get the funds together. I'm pretty sure I'll be leaning toward fingertip. Unless someone on here can make a good enough case for me not to do so. I'm very open minded about it and I have a month to figure it out.

One thing I'd like to add is I would have taught him much much sooner but he never showed any interest in even going bowling let alone learning from Dad. I guess I should have thought to take him sooner and bowl with him. Oh well, he'll be a little more on the fast track than I was but these kids now a days learn way faster than I did.

[TCJ]

Little kids usually will want to bowl if they watch their dad doing it from a very young age. I take my near two-year-old along sometimes and he has fun clapping for strikes and spares... and splits. He also goes wild (in a good way) when he sees the rack full of bowling balls because he thinks he hit the jackpot.

[Phonetek]

Little kids usually will want to bowl if they watch their dad doing it from a very young age. I take my near two-year-old along sometimes and he has fun clapping for strikes and spares... and splits. He also goes wild (in a good way) when he sees the rack full of bowling balls because he thinks he hit the jackpot.

LOL Nice. Gotta love the little little ones. Yeah, he went when he was tiny like that but he didn't bowl but his older brother probably did. His sister was probably in the stroller or bouncy chair watching. Before going this time he's only went for birthday parties but it was only the kids. Most of the time they spent running around the bowling alley playing tag and messing with the ancient arcade games than they did bowling. Hence the reason 2 games took 3 hours for 6 kids.

[TCJ]

I let my son play with my bowling balls at home (with close supervision) so that's one reason he is so excited by them.

[Phonetek]

I was too when I was little. When I got a little older, my job was to melt a white crayon by a candle and fix all the letters on my mom's ball with it so it looked new every week. Ah....good times