When should a kid have a girlfriend/boyfriend?
I have 11 year old twin boys. They will turn 12 next month. Many of their friends have "girlfriends". I've been on a quest to obtain the definition of just what it means to have a girlfriend at this age. I've learned that basically it doesn't mean much. It's fashionable. It's more so to compete with your buddies in a sense...an "everyone else is doing it" sort of thing.
Due to the pandemic of girlfriends spreading within my sons' circle of friends, I've done some work to discourage them. I feel they are too young. "You have plenty of time for girls", I will say casually. Other times, I confess to being less casual with, "the only girl you need to hang out with right now is your mom, got it?" That one goes over like a ton of bricks and earns me some decent eye rolls.
I have also learned from a few parents of friends that their sons have had a girlfriend or two this past year. They shared this information with a shrug your shoulders kind of response.
Tonight, I googled the topic and I am shocked. I've learned it's a pretty normal age to start having a girlfriend. In fact, I even read a couple of sites that said it's healthy. The articles explained that the exposure to a relationship with someone of the opposite sex before the age of sexual pressures is a good thing. Did I mention I was shocked?
Perhaps I'm simply more old fashioned than I would have ever dreamed. Perhaps I'm severely protective over my only sons. Perhaps I will lay low and not harp on them when it comes to this topic. Perhaps I'm the one lurking around and keeping a close eye...
Are you shocked?
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