Hello, have you wondered how to encourage responsible dating within your teen? Well, I'm Dr. Ferrara, and I'd like to send a few tips your way on how to monitor the teen dating scene. First of all it really has to start early, because you want to keep an open dialog with your child from early childhood on. You also want to be able to talk about sex and morality with them early on. And when I say early, I mean, even before middle school. Because right about middle school is about when most of the attractions start, even late six grade and things like that. So, it's important that they have a concept of what you expect from them, because they really do look for boundaries. So what you're doing when you have these discussions with them, is actually setting what's acceptable behavior, and what's not acceptable behavior. Now theorist and psychology say that most teens have their values formed by the time they're 12 years old, many young children definitely know which way they want to go in life. So, but, as we all know that peer pressure gets strong, you want to be strong, and back your child emotionally, let them know if they're ever in a situation where they need help, if they feel they're stressed, or they went to a place that they didn't expect to be taken to, from a date. Know their destinations if you can, but be prepared to pick them up, and tell them, no matter what, no questions asked, if they feel they're in a jam, they can call you. You want to be supportive. I hear of some people have taxi systems, like in New York City, or your prepaid taxi. If your child is in trouble, they can automatically get a taxi, and the family has a charge system that pays for that. So the child can come home if someone is drunk driving or something like that. So you want to be able to bail your child out as easily and smoothly as possibly, without repercussions of them getting punished for getting in that situation in the first place. By all means, talk through the issue with your child as soon as possible, whether it's as soon as they come home, or the next morning. But have a calm and very educational kind of discussion with them, keep an open mind. Teen is a time for learning. And learning about intimate relationships during teen years, is what helps them set the precedence for adult relationships. So by all means, be open, understanding, and compassionate with your teen. Good luck, it's a very scary time, no doubt. Dr. Felicia, signing off. Bye now.
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