Kids do not come with an instruction manual and it does not get any easier when they are teenagers! Teenagers who want to date! I would like to say to my daughter, you can date when you are 30! (actually I do) I guess it’s a part of growing up, the whole dating and crush thing in high school. We’ve all been there but when it comes to your own kids frankly it just sucks.
It’s no secret that the world we live in today is NOT the same world from even 15 years ago.
Social media and texting just came into play when I graduated high school so I cannot imagine having the outlets these kids have today. Texting, Facebook, Instagram, email etc. the list goes on and on. Have you read what these kids are texting each other when they are dating? Have you seen the pictures these kids are posting when they are dating? Trust me I’ve seen my fair share and more than I want.
What I have seen in my time as a mother is the kids who are dating have parents that are older, as in 50’s and 60’s with a teenager. It’s the younger parents I see that are more hesitant to let their kids date. Why do you think that is? Is it because the older parents are out of touch with social media as opposed to the younger parents who are also on social media and can monitor their kids? There may be no real answer as to what age you should let your teenager date but there are definitely some factors we have today that were not there some time ago.
Good Morning Gloucester 
Great thought provoking post, glad my youngest is 34. The dilemmas of today are different than when my kids were of the teenager years. All the conversations took place on the phone. Since I was a nosy parent and worked in a doctor’s office, most of the scoop was heard in the waiting room. There is such a fine line between trusting your kids and the other kids they hang out with. Good luck and you will do great.
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Very nice one use things have changed from my teen years in the 60’s 70’s :-O… The porch light going on and off…Driving across country in 1968 west bound at 13 was an eye opener for sure…I guess this song says it best then! But the 70’s yikes!
Three Dog Night – Mama told me not to come 1970
Dave 🙂 & Kim 🙂
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