I was nervous when my teenagers started dating. I learned to set simple expectations and allow room for mistakes.

Sat, 06/29/2024 - 05:57

Teenage couple smiling and looking out the window while sitting on a bus, one is wearing headphones around his neck and a grey shirt and the other is holding a phone and wearing a denim jacket and white t shirt. — Rebecca Hastings (not pictured) is the mom of three teenagers.
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I asked other parents for advice about what to do when teenagers start dating.
As a mom of three teens, I wanted some help getting through this phase.
I learned to set simple expectations and allow room for mistakes.

People give advice about a lot of things when you have kids: potty training, discipline, and even what they eat. All this gets us through until we enter the teen years. Then, parents are left in a no-man's land with only a few memes to survive. Somehow, we are supposed to know what to do when our kids start dating.