At what age did your teenager start dating?

Cuthie · #1 (**permalink**) 09-25-2008, 10:27 PM

I'm curious. What age did your teenager start dating based on your family's definition of 'dating'!?

I know that we all define it differently... so, we'll see where this leads.

mitcham · #2 (**permalink**) 09-25-2008, 10:40 PM

My son was not allowed to go out alone with a girl until he was 16. Before that, if he wanted to go to a movie with a girl, I would take them and sit by myself in the back of the theater so I wasn't "with" them. When he turned 16, before he got his license, I would drop them off at the theater and they would go alone. We had lots of talks about relationships, and appropriate behavior, etc. (interesting that I am now in a battle of him wanting to spend the night in his girlfriend's dorm room! what the heck happened there?)

Anyway, I just wanted to add that apparently the words "dating" and "going out" don't mean the same as they did when I as young. When my son and his girlfriend "officially" agreed to "date", then they were dating. Before that, they were just hanging out. There needs to be some official agreement apparently... or at least you change your Facebook status to indicate you are "taken" or whatever.

jeanief · #3 (**permalink**) 09-25-2008, 10:58 PM

Dating age is 16 in my house too.

valorian · #4 (**permalink**) 09-25-2008, 11:15 PM

after college! lol ok ok ummm 16 <EEP oldest is 15 now!>

MyTime · #5 (**permalink**) 09-26-2008, 01:08 AM

16 for dating alone, one on one. DS 13 goes places with his "girlfriend" which is a year older than him. Her mom is always nearby. Same for when she is with us I'm always closeby.

haynes94 · #6 (**permalink**) 09-26-2008, 11:40 AM

We don't have that problem yet--- my dd is 15, and we haven't allowed her to date yet.

mykentuckykids · #7 (**permalink**) 09-26-2008, 02:53 PM

my dd started dating at 14. She has had a couple of boyfriends in the past but now she is 15 and this is her first "serious" boyfriend. Thankfully he is really nice and sweet and gets along with the family. I have a open relationship with both of my kids and there is nothing we havent discussed. My son is 12 almost 13 and I told him he couldnt start dating til he was atleast 14 and if he waited longer that was fine too. I have never been one to push my kids to date, alot of parents around here in grade school are like yeah my kid dates so and so and i drop them off to the movies so they can hang out together. I think that is bizzare.

steph

ddist · #8 (**permalink**) 09-27-2008, 10:10 AM

There was never a rule in our house really, my youngest had a few "boyfriends" when they would go to the local movies and talk on the phone and that was about it, she is now 15 and could care less for a boyfriend, my college age daughter had 2 -4 "boyfriends" at a younger age but high school not until she was a junior did she get
serious with someone they broke up and when she was a senior she found someone else, which I told her was a bad idea
cause she was going away to college well now she is away to college she is finding all kinds of ways to see the boyfriend here at home.

littlejo · #9 (**permalink**) 09-27-2008, 04:37 PM

16 for our daughter

sexysmurf · #10 (**permalink**) 09-28-2008, 05:07 PM

My oldest in only 9 but it will be 16 for our kids for one on one dates. Group dates or chaporoned *dates* probably at 13 or 14. I know I had *boyfriends* in 6th grade and all we did was hold hands and talk. He would come to my house and we would play games with my family. That stuff is fine.

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