Being divorced means for me, very little co-parenting. It means that we never had a discussion as to rules or ground work conversations when it comes to dating. Having my oldest be a boy, I thought I had some time. Last year however, to my dismay, my ex-husband allowed my son to start spending time on the weekends with his "girl-friend" at her house, properly supervised.
I wasn't thrilled.
To me, 14 is still to young to be dating, and allowing time on the weekends for them to spend time together seemed to be encouraging this behavior. But I don't get asked questions, or how I feel about things that go on at "dad's house".
So fast forward a year, and my son has a new "girl-friend" and he wanted her to spend time at my house with her. I reluctantly agreed, but felt that at least at my house I could be confident regarding the amount of supervision that would be going on.
We set up the date and time, and I made sure he was clear that they would NOT be hanging out in his room. He was not happy but I was clear that it was NOT appropriate for them to be hanging out in his room on his bed. I also made sure that all of his younger brothers and sister and would be home to help out as well.(insert evil grin here)
The day went well, youngest sister was well behaved and monopolized said girl friend's attention with puzzles and bracelet making as only a super cute 4 year old can do. And luckily there was no inappropriate touching or kissing as I had feared.
How do parents teach their children appropriate public intimacy without getting freaked out themselves?
I just hope that all that chaos and extra supervision curbs this as a routine.....
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