Dating and building relationships is part of growing up. Remember your teen years and remember how you felt about your first crushes and dates? That’s what your teen is going through right now. You need to be available to your teen and be willing to help them if they need it.

When should your teen start dating?

It should be when you think they are mature enough to do so. As a parent, it’s your job to be the judge. Think back to how old you were and talk to your teen about your experiences. Just because they are 13 and have a crush doesn’t mean that they are mature enough to date.

It’s your call. When they start talking about their crushes or caring about how they look, they are probably maturing. Communicating with your teen can keep them talking and keep you aware of how they are feeling.

Online Dating for Teens

If your teen wants to do online dating, make sure that you stress the importance of safety. Safety online requires common sense, so teach your teen about the importance of being anonymous online.

Have your teen sign up for a Skype account before they get an online profile. Phone numbers can be traced to an address, but Skype can be completely anonymous. As you read about Parship Ireland dating websites—which are hugely popular for online dating in Europe—you’ll see that their teen users remain anonymous with Skype voice chat.

If your teen ever wants to meet with someone offline, make sure that they do it in a crowded place and that they will have lots of friends with them—or even you! Discouraging in-person meet ups from online dating might cause your teen to do it secretly—which is very dangerous.