parentingteensandtweens.com

A Community for Surviving The Teen Years

Teen Dating

There is just something about the idea of your teen dating (or tween) that is terrifying, uncomfortable and sad all at the same time.

Their chubby little hands that used to fit so neatly inside your own are now being offered to boyfriends and girlfriends instead and it hurts your heart a little

You want to be supportive and give them good dating advice, but this is new territory for both of you. They are bound to have tons of teenage dating questions, and honestly, so do you.

When should your tween or teen start dating?
How should you talk to your teen about dating?
Heck, how do today’s teenagers define dating?

And Lets Talk About Teen Dating Rules

It feels like times have changed so dramatically. Technology has transformed the way tweens and teen communicate with each other. You must wonder if there is still such a thing as dating etiquette.

Many parents don’t realize that their teens consider meeting people online as a viable way to start a relationship. They also may think a “date” means connecting on a gaming app or messaging each other on SnapChat.

Is this really a safe or healthy and how exactly do you set dating rules in this new world your teens inhabit?

It may definitely require an adjustment to your traditional views of teenage relationships.

Modern Teen Relationships

But as much as things change, many things stay the same.

While technology has definitely contributed to a more casual approach to dating and today’s teen hook-up culture gets a lot of hype, this generation still values relationships.  They still have boyfriends and girlfriends and while they are still having sex, there’s actually been a decrease in teens who say they are sexually active.

They also still value their parents advice, even though it doesn’t always feel that way. Your teenage daughters and teenage sons want you to talk with them about dating, relationships and yes even S-E-X. While scary, it is also a privilege if you’re willing to get past the initial awkwardness of it all.

You have the opportunity to be the one who helps them define what a healthy teen relationship should look like, to teach them how to treat others and how they should expect to be treated, and how protect themselves but at the same time how to have fun with it all.

Because it should be fun.  First dates, first kisses, and even first heartbreaks are all experiences in their life that you want to be able to celebrate with them. But it all starts with a conversation, and here’s everything you need to know so you don’t blow it.