Topic : Teen Dating

though I don't think 14 and 18 years of age mix particularly well because of the enormes age difference. A 14 year old will see dating as kissing while an 18 year old might want to go a bit further. But also on the intrests they will probably differ.

Anyways she is old enough to dat teens start somewhere around that age with dating. But if they are well prepared by their parents they will do it in an age apropriate way.  E.g. 13 and 14 year old will do kissing have dates to the movies etc.

Having the talk is never to early listen to the questions she has. Just as a coincidence this is the week of the springbutterflies in which schoolchildren (age 4 -12) are thouht about relationships, dating and sex in a way that is apropriate for their age. Children will indicate to you how far they are answer their questions and tell a little more and that is all the talk you will need.

You need to prepare her for when things get more serious and she might come into a position she wants to say no in but isn't empowered in her beliefs to do it. You will need to empower those ideas by talking about sex and dating but also by letting her date. Feel blessed that she asked you if she can date which means she want's an open relationship with you. Isn't that better then her sneaking behind your back?

You can't watch her 24/7 you know. This way you'll at least get to know what is going on with her.

Okay, my name is Tiffany and I really need some help here understanding what is going on. I am 17 and my parents are okay with me dating and stuff. My boyfriend is 15 and his parents are totally against everything, and have continuously lied to both of us about how they feel about us being together. His parents are very.... influential and have told him that he needs to not be thinking about dating or anything like that, however, he is a very smart person, and through his parents' pushing him to be more mature than any normal child, he doesn't act his age to say the least. His parents don't understand what they have done to him emotionally and we don't know how to get through to them. We are on the edge of just having a big talk to get our feelings out on the table. It is going so far as to keep us from seeing and talking to each other outside of school.... PERIOD. Please someone explain to me what I could do to make things better. All I want is to feel like I am welcome in his family and I know my feelings for their son are true.

Hello, I am a teen and turning 16 this year, I would like to epress my own opinion on this topic.

I agree with many of the posts here, and you really do have to consider many things when it comes to dating.

My parents and I don't talk often about dating, and this is mostly because I am not extremely interested in it; and from my experiance with friends etc, I think that - in high school- the most important thing to do is concentrate on school.

However, I am alowed to date and I do not think there is anything wrong with dating. 15, 16 and onwards I think, is a safe age to allow a teenager to date, depending on their maturity and so forth.

I have never had a boyfriend, and still do not feel like "i need one, and -the oh so famous- we're in love-.

It is the parents decision to allow their teens to date, but they should not hold the reins to tight.

On the topic of boundries- teens want to have fun =), and I know that the more rules there are, the more we want to break them.

It is important to talk to your son/daughter about dating early so they know what to expect, and develop a relationship with them so they can feel like they can talk freely with you about the topic.

My parents introduced the topic of dating quite late, and I never knew if I was allowed to date, and what they expected of me. Now, that we have talked, I know what rules are established.

Trust is very important between parents and their kids...

Well first off, it was a good decision to let her date at that age. Here it is quite normal (in the Netherlands) and it will help your daughter learn how she must form a healthy relationship when she grows older. It also says that you trust your daughter which will give her more confidence.

As I said it is a learning process, it won't go right on the first try (how unfortunate that might be.) Best thing to do is not only say what he does bad or good (don't only speak bad of him, it makes you unbelievable.) But let her think about it. So don't give the answers but let her think about what she thinks. Let her grow an awareness of what he is doing.

This will help her form her own opinion and make her grow stronger in a relationship so that she might not tollerate his behaviour.  Also empower her when she does not tolerate negative behaviour from him but also empower her response to behaviour that is positive from him (because she needs to learn what it means to be in a relationship, how she should respond etc and again only emphazising his negatives makes you unbelievable.)

But no matter what keep an eye out for her, see if there's anything going on that goes way out of line. Step in if needed but remember that it is a grave intervention that only should be done if there are no alternatives. If you have to do that she will probably hate you for a while and she might try to see him behind your back (forbidden fruit always tastes much better)

I hope this will help you,

oet Gäöl

My daughter is 16 years old and has been dating a boy for 1 year. They are experiencing difficulty and I am experiencing the feelings that I had when I was her age, sadness and worry, about what is happening. I want to help her deal with her feelings, but am having a hard time dealing with it myself. I know that it is unusual, and I don't like it at all, but I don't know what to do. Has anyone else experienced this problem?