Would you let your kids date in high school? I married my high school sweetheart (dated since 16), had 2 kids, andโฆdivorced almost 20 years later ๐
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Aww, it's alright! We're still great friends, and to this day, I'm so appreciative of her and all the lessons we learnt together.
Of course, there are many successful high school sweetheart stories, andโฆteenagers WILL DATE ANYWAY. So, here's a totally unscientifically-backed list of things to look out for if you let your kids lovey-dovey in school love:
๐๐ฒ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น
Yes, with first love, comes first heartbreak. Teenagers can be inexperienced, so they may keep rushing back into the same destructive relationships all because of love๐.
As a family, it's up to us to provide rapport and kindness if things go badly. Help them discover if they're REALLY happy in the relationship, or if it's just addiction speaking. Sometimes, a harsher wake-up call is required if the relationship isn't healthy.
๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐
"You complete me," is perhaps the most damaging pop culture sentence when it comes to relationships. Yes, the best relationships are "Interdependent" ones, and if your child is developing an unhealthy obsession with his/her date, it may be time to gently apply the brakes ๐.
Talk about how it's important for two people to develop themselves separately, and that other things in life are just as awesome! Their friends, their family, their studies are all aspects of life to improve and focus on, too!
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐
Yep, as an Educator, I've seen more than a couple of unwanted pregnancies. One thing's for sure, teenagers are going to DO IT ANYWAY if we don't talk to them about it, so it's better to have one hand on the steering wheel and to discuss it with them earlier on.
It's best if we can dissuade them altogether, but that isn't always realistic. So, we may have to educate them about the various measures available to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.
What are your thoughts on letting kids date in high school? I'd also love to hear your success stories ๐, but I'm equally empathetic if you have a sad one to share.
