When is it safe to start letting our children go into relationships?

Question

I'm afraid to let my children get into relationships(i.e. girl-boyfriendships) too early just in case it did them no good. At what age would it be safe to allow our children this liberty?

Answer 1

To preface, my answer is based on a personal belief in abstinence before marriage, and on guidance I received from my own parents and church leaders when I was a teen on how to structure relationships in order to make that goal attainable. It worked for me, and I plan to encourage my own children along the same lines when they are older. My intent isn't to start a debate on the merits of abstinence, merely to answer the original question from the point of view of someone with that goal in mind for their children. It might also be useful for people who only feel abstinence is important up to a certain age. If such a goal offends you or you find it anachronistic, feel free to ignore my answer.

• No dating before the age of 16, defined as pairing off in social contexts. Chaperoned group activities or dances are okay as long as you aren't exclusive in who you pay attention to during the event.
• After age 16, double dates or group dates are allowed, but not "steady dating." That term wasn't clearly defined for me, so I defined it myself as more than two dates in a row with the same person.
• After age 18, standards are self-imposed, but parents can still encourage. I decided to continue the steady dating policy for myself until I felt I was prepared for dating to potentially progress to marriage. I started single dating, but made a point to never be completely alone with my dates. It's much easier to avoid temptation if someone, even a stranger 100 feet away, can always see you.

Overly restrictive? Maybe. I chafed at it myself a few times, but then I realized I was having dates more often, with a larger variety of activities that most of my more "liberated" friends. Ironically, because I was specifically avoiding looking for something serious at first, I didn't worry about going on a date that might not work out. My friends were more reluctant to ask someone out because of increased expectations.

Answer 2

Why would you want to restrict your child's attempts at a romantic relationship? It is not alcohol, or smoking: there is no fundamentally negative effect from dating.

If you are worried about your child becoming sexually active, trying to restrict it won't help much there, either. Such attempts will likely have the opposite effect: teenagers can and do rebel.

As for the possibility of a broken heart - you can't have any affect on it at all. What is important is that your child has your support and trust, and trying to restrict their (totally normal) forays into puppy love or romance won't earn you their trust or encourage them to come to you for support.

Answer 3

In contrast with the other answerers, I think that it's reasonable and healthy to restrict a child's ability to go out on dates and engage in romantic relationships in accordance with their age. You have to strike a balance: romance, dating and sex are dangerous and difficult to get right, but practically speaking you can only learn how to successfully negotiate them with a certain amount of trial-and-error. You need to help your child by making an informed judgement of their ability to make good decisions and handle heartbreak.

That said, here are some general guidelines:

• Children under the age of 12 or so should not go out on dates at all, period. They may say that they have a boy/girlfriend, but at this age it's little more than a schoolyard crush, and I see no reason to encourage it. But there's also little reason to stop children from saying that they have a bf/gf if they want to. This is when you should start educating your child about sex and adult relationships.
• Children from the age of 12 to 15 or so might have moderately serious relationships, and will probably do fine in group dates or chaperoned dates. One-on-one dates are probably premature at this stage, especially since kids at this age have relatively little money or means to get around by themselves. I would still be wary of parties and group situations with inadequate adult supervision, though, as emotions and hormones far exceed wisdom at this age. Your guidance in this period may prepare your kids for more serious and independent relationships later.
• From 15 to 18, kids get the ability to drive themselves (in the US, at least), may have their own cars, or at least probably have friends with cars and mobility. So in practical terms, your ability to restrict your kids' movement and relationships goes down a lot at this point. The good news is that by this point most teens will be able to handle one-on-one dates and more serious relationships by this point on their own. They'll probably hurt themselves a few times, but will hopefully avoid catastrophe.
• After the age of 18 kids are effectively adults, and you can't manage their life anyway. Any mistakes at this point are their own.

Of course there are exceptions to all of this. I know a couple that began dating when they were 13, and dated continuously with a few breaks until they were 18, at which point they married.

Answer 4

Nothing says "I think I love you" like "my parents don't want us to be together."

I'm not certain what you mean by "just in case it did them no good." Not every relationship is going to work, and this sounds dangerously close to setting the expectation that you should only enter into a relationship if it will result in long-term commitment.

Early dating should be a learning experience. It is just as important to learn how to identify and get out of a relationship that isn't working as it is to learn what makes a relationship work.

As Nikita mentioned, attempting to restrict your child's romantic relationships will most likely not work. In fact, attempts like that all too frequently backfire. At best, you're fighting against peer pressure and your child's desire to exert control over their life. At worst, you're fighting all that plus hormones. Your best bet is to educate. Make sure they understand the pitfalls of dating, and give advice on how to deal with various situations (how to show appreciation, be willing to listen, how to apologize, how to draw boundaries if necessary, etc.).

I think dating is generally a tough topic for parents because it is one of the biggest signs of the approaching end of childhood. It reminds us that we won't be the most important people in their lives forever, and that they are becoming more and more capable of looking after themselves and making their own decisions. It is very easy to lose sight of the fact that that is the ultimate goal of parenting.

Answer 5

When is it safe? Relationships and dating are never safe. Even at 25 it's like running headlong into a minefield of extreme emotion and high passion. That's what makes it great, after all.

Now that you've taken the bubble-wrap off, it's time for an opinion from a lefty. Coincidentally, science and statistics have shown that these methods actually work better at delaying pregnancy and sexual initiation.

First, both genders need to know about sex. No, of course they're not going to be having sex right now! (what? You're asking this question when they're 16? Oh shit, too late!) They should have already gotten the biology-of-reproduction and the "why adults like it" bits years before they start dating. By now, they should have all that down pat. If they haven't gotten it from you by the time they're 11 or 12, then they've surely learned something on the playground, and now it's an uphill battle because they don't want to listen to practically anything you say anymore. Unless you're really lucky.

Both genders also need access to birth control, or in the case of girls, be on birth control, "just in case". Think of it like making your 4 year old wear her bike helmet, even though she still has training wheels on and she's still not riding faster than she can walk. Good habits are easier to make than bad habits are to break. And besides, people don't always plan things a month in advance. Or plan things at all.

For girls, these are prerequisites:

1. Does she know what coercion is? She'll probably get this a lot as a teenager, and not just from boyfriends or potential boyfriends, but peers as well. She needs to recognize it for what it is, and bolt when she sees it. It means that person is an asshole that she wants nothing to do with.

2. Jealousy and anger are not signs he loves you. They're signs that he's a psychopath. There are other red flags that she needs to run from and talk to you about. Generally speaking, if something makes her feel uncomfortable, she should go with that feeling.

3. She can't make him love her. She can't make him feel any feelings (including but not limited to rage, jealousy, guilt, or any of the other abusers like to blame other people for). They're his feelings. Also, having sex with him won't work either.

4. She can always come to you with hurt feelings or questions. You promise not to be an asshole about it, even if it's about something you find abhorrent. Keep that promise.

5. Don't let strangers handle your drinks, and prosecute the offenders. It's not because she's a slut, it's because he's a predator. Back her up on any criminal proceedings.

For boys:

1. Does he know what coercion is? It's when he's not open about what he wants, but instead tries to be sneaky about it. Openness and honesty will always win, even if it loses him some girlfriends. It's better this way, because if she doesn't want what he doesn't want, the relationship will always fail. Even if it's a taste in music.

2. Speaking of which, rejection isn't bad either. It means she's not into him, and he probably won't be into her for the same reasons. Embrace rejection. It's the only path to happiness. Dating is a process of elimination.

3. He can't make her love him. See above.

4. I don't think this can be taught, but don't be the jealous psychopath, or the stalker. Seek professional help if necessary.

Now you get to let them loose and catch them when they fail miserably. That's generally your job once they're teenagers anyway.

Coincidentally, abstinence before marriage is a recipe for marital disaster that starts young and ends early (hopefully before kids, but often and even usually, not). For god's sake, find out what they're really like before you get married.

Answer 6

I can be considered a very oddball example, but this is just my view, feel free to ignore it. I had absolutely no rules on dating, but have decided on them myself. I met my soulmate when I was 16. Now if I had someone impose rules on me then I would have never met that special someone. At the same time I have enforced abstinence before marriage. I felt that not being physically attached to someone can help keep a clear mind when it comes to thinking about the big commitment.

I do not enforce any rules on my kids. Life is a test, you will never learn by following someone's advice. We are all different people, and what works for some might not work for others. Additionally I think that if I enforce rules on my children, then they will still try to do things and be secretive about it. I would rather be my child's best friend and trusted adviser, than a tyrant who is trying to prevent him from (in his eyes and opinion) having fun. I did notice that allowing a child to try whatever they want and just giving advice here and there is better rather than forcing them to do something. Additionally advices are usually followed, whereas rules are made to be broken.

So my two cents would be not saying anything, and only speaking when spoken to. Trust me they will come to you asking for help when you have an open and helpful mind waiting for them rather than a judgmental mind.

Answer 7

There's a saying I've heard a few times that I think is very much on topic here. It goes something like this:

The first few times you try something, you are going to fail at it. Miserably. So you might as well get it over with.

Granted, the original context was game-design and not dating, but I think it applies everywhere.

You are afraid to let your children into relationships now and try to push back when they start. But what's the worst that can happen when two 10-year olds go on a "date"? It's probably the feeling of heartbreak when it doesn't work out. Which is probably a good thing to get some experience with, because that'll happen a lot more.

Most likely, they will learn a lot of things about relationship, how to treat people they like, how not to treat people they like (a very important skill as well), how to gracefully end a relationship (a skill a lot of people seem to lack) and a hundred other invaluable life lessons.

Compare that to a 20-year old going on a first date. They have no experience to spot the difference between a great partner or an abusive bastard. They don't know what level of interest in someone's life is "cute" and which is "stalking". They won't know the difference between being nice and paying for dinner and being taken advantage of. Worst case, they might not even realise that it's a terrible idea to get married after dating for 3 months.

Experience is the most valuable thing in a person's life. Don't deny it to your children by restricting them in terms of relationships. Let them screw up dates and get heartbroken while it's still cute and easy (even if it doesn't feel like that for them).

Or to answer the question: the safest time to let your children get into relationships is last year, because the older they get, the more painful or problematic a break-up can be and the harder they will need that early experience to accept that being dumped isn't the end of the world.

Answer 8

I am going to follow Nikita's post with the following......

The so called "answer" to this question concerns me. Nikita is correct in stating that teens will rebel, including Pre-Teens. As it stands even if you restrict them, in this age of technology, they will find ways (twitter, facebook, sms, etc) to express their affections and communicate. Lest I go on about sexting etc. NOONE wants to experience the horrors of their children going that far.

BUT to fend against that, communication with your child is the key. As stated in the main answer talking to them on how you feel about the relationship and how they should conduct themselves is greatly helpful. In most cases children don't know what to do when faced wit these kind of situations so they look for any guidance they can find and when all else fails bad decisions are made.

I do think that the "answer" post and many others are VERY restrictive in how dating is done per age group where as they need to be supervised to age 18. I attribute that to being very overprotective. Also it is a side effect of overprotective religions (that is a point for another day). Either way I do agree with that "group dating" idea whereas everyone is having a good time and if things get uncomfortable then there is a way out as in go talk to a friend besides the crush.

But not allowing them to go off on their own with their crush fosters a feeling of trust issues. How can they talk to you about what's going on if you can't give them the space to see what is actually going on. And as Nikita said broken hearts can and will happen and how you react to that for them will be a defining moment in the relationship with your kids. Not making a big deal of it shows you have no support for their feelings. Either way your their parent. And life is about experiences and learning from them. So as a parent in this area of their life all you can do is inform them about safe sex (if you or your religion allows/believes in sex before marriage), give them advice on how to deal with situations they are unsure about and be there for them when their are at their most vulnerable such as a break up or fight. They may seem like small beans to you because of their age but for them its a big deal. And when you have a problem that is a big deal for you don't you feel better when someone can give it as much weight as you do?

Answer 9

I think a good solution is to not allow or encourage early dates (or seeing forbidden movies, or smocking cigarettes, or sneaking out of home at night), and let these activites be on the "transgression" side of the life of the kids.

In these times of so-called transparency, I might be even more old-fashioned than the abstinence proposing answers, because I don't think it is possible, and not even desirable, to be fully transparent with our kids.

They want to have their secrets, so just let them believe you do not know about what they did last night.

Another consequence of this controlled semi-opacity: I will lie when my kids will ask me if I ever tried drugs.

So if my boy comes back from a romantic walk in the fields at 2am, I'll not be waiting for him with a loaded gun, nor will I offer him a last beer. I'll sleep (on one ear, and be envious of him). And if he get caught, I'll tell him it is not ok, even if I think it actually is ok.