Teaching Teen Girls About Healthy Dating

Although you may hope that your little girl will stay little forever, the unfortunate part of parenting is watching them grow. Like everyone else, eventually, your daughter is going to grow interested in dating. This can be a stressful time for parents.

You want to protect your daughter from the dangers that can come with dating, but you also don't want to be that parent that overprotects or damages their relationship with their daughter by being overbearing.

There are a lot of different topics to cover as well. This article will offer some advice on how to approach teen girls about dating as well as how to reach them on issues like sex.

1. Approach The Subject Casually

Initially, it's important that you don't corner your daughter.

From the very start, that will make everything you say after meaningless. Talking about dating and sex is just as painful for them to listen to as it is for you to discuss. As such, you should try to make the atmosphere as casual and friendly as possible before launching into the subject.

If your daughter is already in a good mood and feeling open, then the conversation will be a lot easier to have.

2. Be Open And Realistic

Depending on the gender of the parent who is having the discussion, you can use it to your advantage. For women, you can give your daughter a realistic view of relationships and how they can turn unhealthy.

With the #MeToo movement permanently a part of today's culture, you can easily use examples from the personal anecdotes–if not your own–about how dangerous dating can sometimes become. You've been there — use it to your advantage.

While you shouldn't try to scare your daughter off from dating, you should equip them with the knowledge of abuse and rape so that they are aware that it can happen to them just as much as it did this other person. Not much on talking? Have her watch a season of Law & Order: SVU — she'll get the idea.

For men, it's important to own up that men are stronger than women and can sometimes use that to their advantage. You can offer them insight into how a boy's mind works when he sees someone that he wants. No one knows it better than yourself, after all.

3. Sex

When talking about sex, you need to do your best to remain judgment-free. The real lesson should be that the choice of having sex should always be up to her and not her partner.

Teach her about STDs and why safe sex and STD testing is important. They shouldn't be ashamed of sex. They should be informed.

4. Inform Them Of The Signs Of Abuse

While physical and sexual abuse may be obvious, there are other signs of abuse that are less blatant. It's important that you impart these lessons to your daughter, too.

Go over the signs of emotional abuse like their partner keeping them away from friends and family. You should also tell them where they can go if they're in an abusive relationship.