So, I'm one of those parents that have always pushed for my kid to be a kid and do kid things for as long as possible. I was horrified when friends would talk about their children's "boyfriends" when they were 5. In my gut, I just knew this wasn't a good idea! It's nice to get confirmation on this :)!!
In fact, as a teacher, I have told many a parent to slow it down, that there is a time and place for everything and really, their freshman daughter did NOT need to go to prom!
If you disagree with me and think that your elementary child should have a "boyfriend", fine. But I'll refer you to the study below. Click on the link and it will take you to the article.
Good Advice to Parent's of Middle Schoolers
But basically, it says that tweens that start "dating" in 6th-8th grade are more likely to have problems in school, dropout and/or use drugs. hmm..
The article is really pretty good and discusses the reasons dating is a bad idea in middle school. The article talks about teaching coping skills and makes a number of other good points.
For me, it just reinforced what I've told a lot of people.. if your daughter has a boyfriend at 7, meets a boy at the movies at 10, starts really dating in middle school, goes to prom for the first time as a freshman/sophomore, then why are you shocked when there are "issues" later?
The choices we make for our kids DO matter.
And yes, I am well aware that good kids who have boundaries make mistakes! I pray every day that mine won't make life altering mistakes. But more than that, I am aware that the boundaries we place in and around our kids help prevent a lot of problems.
Now I just have to be consistent and enforce the boundaries!!
In fact, as a teacher, I have told many a parent to slow it down, that there is a time and place for everything and really, their freshman daughter did NOT need to go to prom!
If you disagree with me and think that your elementary child should have a "boyfriend", fine. But I'll refer you to the study below. Click on the link and it will take you to the article.
Good Advice to Parent's of Middle Schoolers
But basically, it says that tweens that start "dating" in 6th-8th grade are more likely to have problems in school, dropout and/or use drugs. hmm..
The article is really pretty good and discusses the reasons dating is a bad idea in middle school. The article talks about teaching coping skills and makes a number of other good points.
For me, it just reinforced what I've told a lot of people.. if your daughter has a boyfriend at 7, meets a boy at the movies at 10, starts really dating in middle school, goes to prom for the first time as a freshman/sophomore, then why are you shocked when there are "issues" later?
The choices we make for our kids DO matter.
And yes, I am well aware that good kids who have boundaries make mistakes! I pray every day that mine won't make life altering mistakes. But more than that, I am aware that the boundaries we place in and around our kids help prevent a lot of problems.
Now I just have to be consistent and enforce the boundaries!!
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