Teenage dating for parents

Of course, kids who already have relationships — and even some still in the talking phase — will go with that special person, but still as part of a group. If that’s the case, the only thing you can do is offer support and perhaps plan a trip or outing for that night.

To college students, hooking up means having casual sex.

Broken hearts after a breakup are real, too, and just as with adults, there’s no timetable for recovery.

A fairly high bar stands between this phase and actual “dating,” wherein one member of the couple — usually the boy — officially asks the other out.

Even 14- and 15-year-olds can fall in love, Reardon says.

“To a child or teenager who is experiencing this, it is very real and very important,” she says.

Case in point: There’s a myth in teen circles that you can’t get STDs from oral sex, Gurwitch notes.

She says as cringe-inducing as this conversation will be, it has to get done. “There’s something about not sitting next to each other on a couch that makes this easier for both you and your child.” Just because teens are more casual and sophisticated about dating doesn’t mean they don’t still suffer heartbreak.