When is the right age for your teen to start dating?

Knowing when to begin letting your teenager date can be a difficult decision. It is certainly one many parents wrestle with on a regular basis. Your teen will either tell you or keep it a secret. If they are open about dating, one way to know just what your child is doing with a particular love interest is to allow them to spend time together in your home. While it is unlikely that they will always hang out there all the time, you can at least keep a watch on things when the couple is on the premises.

When your teen wants to start dating

Although it will differ from one household to another, one of the most common ages for starting dating is 16. On the other hand, If they have shown they are mature enough to handle dating without it becoming too serious, you will be able to easily establish an age. But the key in deciding when to let your children date is figuring out how responsible they are and making decisions accordingly.
While you will probably be reluctant to let them begin dating, after all they are your children and you worry about them, your parental instinct will give you what you need to know when it’s time.

Evaluate the situation
If your child is mature for his or her age, you might decide to allow dating earlier than 16 but this is not advisable.
You may also wish to take into consideration the age of the girls or boys your child wishes to date. The age of the person taking your daughter out, for example, may be the deciding factor for you. They background as well plays a huge role.  You don’t want your child, who has a brighter future ahead of her, falling for a guy with little ambition or entwined in drugs and alcohol. You need to make sure this is someone with a positive influence on your child. You also want to know that the person seeing your child is responsible enough not to miss her curfew on date nights. They need to enhance the value of respect in your child. If you feel she would be safe, you might say yes, but if you feel otherwise you would then say no.

Talk to your child

When your child starts dating, advise them to talk to you so that you can also give them a word of advice about relationships. Dating should be fun at their age but the world is changing and they may find themselves entangled in serious issues. Once you know as a parent, you need to emphasise the sex talk and the disadvantages of teenage pregnancy.  Your child should be comfortable to tell you about the good and the bad stuff happening in their relationship. There is a rise in gender-based violence, advise your child to tell you if their partner raises a hand on them. The are navigating a new space of love and may feel they need to protect their partner by keeping quiet. Encourage them to communicate about anything and everything.