Your Teen’s First Date, How Should You Deal With It?

By Cole Carson

What parent doesn’t eventually hear their teenager say; ‘I’m going to be going on a date Friday evening.’ At some point, everybody’s child grows old enough to start showing interest in the opposite sex, and that inevitably leads up to the first date. Plenty of parents see this as an exciting and happy moment, making sure to take plenty of pictures and shower their child in almost embarrassing excitement, but many others see this as a scary or worrisome experience. – Of course, the latter is sad, because the first date does not have to be a bad thing at all. So how far exactly do you get yourself involved into your teen’s dating life and what action do you take in regard to their first date? There are plenty of different opinion on this, but I think we can all agree that we should never hide our children away from living, and when the world of dating finally comes around to your child, we must to a certain extent, embrace it.

Plenty of parents have absolutely no idea as to the role that they should be playing in their teenager’s dating life. Do they embrace and support it with enthusiasm and excitement, or should they be wary and overprotective? The answer is, of course, that you need to be both. As a parent, you’re going to be walking a very thin line between the two. – A delicate balancing act, so to speak. Teenagers are obviously not yet adults, and are very much childlike in the sense that their minds are in no way completely developed. – They just don’t have the thought and reasoning capacity of any adult. This of course makes teenagers much more likely to live in the ‘now’ without thinking ahead, making them far more prone to stupid mistakes. Of course, despite all of this, you still must understand that you cannot hide them from the world and living.

Every single child is going to make mistakes. One of the crucial roles in the game of growing up is learning from the mistakes we make. It is up to parents to see that the mistakes that their children make are small enough that they will not be life altering. By shielding your child from the world, you are seeing that they have no chances to make any mistakes. – You are only ensuring that when your child grows up and is no longer under your wing, they will have no life experience, and it is then that their mistakes will finally be made. – When you are no longer there to help them. So of course you must realize that you need to allow your child to live life, even make mistakes at times, while they are still living under your roof. This ensures that you will be there to steer them back on the right path, and it will keep your child from feeling like he or she has to be rebellious.

However, make sure that this chance at gaining valuable life experience comes with rules. As we have already noted, teenagers tend to think in the present with little regard to the future, and often aren’t great at practicing reason. If you leave the situation completely in their hands, you can bet money that they will eventually wind up over their heads. The important thing is that you find a balance. You must take an active stance in your child’s dating life without impeding it. Meet their prospective dates, and be sure to talk to your teen about them. When you show an interest in the people your teen is interested in, they are much more likely to include you, which is important because these people will have a powerful influence on them.

When your teen starts dating, it does not have to be a bad experience for you, or something you should worry about! It can and should be an exciting new time in their life that you both should share. Involve yourself, as them fun little questions about their date, like what they find most attractive about them or what kind of interests or hobbies they have. – These questions that will help you not only to bond with your teen, but to show them that you’re not there to boss or police them. Make sure though not to take this too far, and let them know that you’re still the parent, still in control, and that both your child and their date need to respect you. Striking this balance is the key to making sure your teen grows up with a happy and enjoyable dating experience that they will be able to look back fondly upon when they are grown.

About the Author: Cole Carson is a successful internet and network marketer. He specializes in the fields of health and nutrition, motivational coaching, and business topics. Spiffy, the Goji Juice golden retriever wants you to know all about Goji Juice! –

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