Do your teen sons talk to you about their crushes or girlfriends?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, he will not talk about it with you. This is normal behavior for a teen. Back off.

+1 These posts lately are making me nostalgic for my 90s upbringing when parents had no clue what their kids were thinking or doing.

Umm we didn’t have phones, social media, unlimited access to porn for “learning” about sex, date rape drugs, tons of candy pills, me too movement, etc… A lot more STD’s too.

To want to be so hands off with who your son is hanging out with during his free time and what he is doing is pretty scary.

DP: Sheesh. Know your own kid. I know where my boys are and who they are with. That has nothing to do with probing their brains about their feelings and crushes. If they want to talk, we'll talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, he will not talk about it with you. This is normal behavior for a teen. Back off.

+1 These posts lately are making me nostalgic for my 90s upbringing when parents had no clue what their kids were thinking or doing.

Oh please. I was a teen in the early 90s. And, yes, my parents has zero clue what I was doing or thinking. I do not use that as the bar for good parenting given that they probably should have known more I was doing. a LOT of things that were problematic. I didn't trust them to talk to them.

I don't favor the know every movement or thought of some of todays parents. But there is a middle ground and the trick is finding that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, he will not talk about it with you. This is normal behavior for a teen. Back off.

+1 These posts lately are making me nostalgic for my 90s upbringing when parents had no clue what their kids were thinking or doing.

I'll see your 90s upbringing and throw in my 80s upbringing.

What is it with these mothers who have to know their sons' every thought on dating/girls/sexuality? Talk to them about how to treat girls all along, talk to them about sex and protection from a young age, but stop with trying to get into their heads to parse out every little thing. This is a good way to get them to stop talking to you at all. Boundaries, people!

+1

Same! 80s girl too. None of my parents' business. For my kids: I'm here if they need me; I am not going to pry.

I think if there was a brain implant version of Life 360, some of these parents would be first in line to install it in their kids' heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, he will not talk about it with you. This is normal behavior for a teen. Back off.

+1 These posts lately are making me nostalgic for my 90s upbringing when parents had no clue what their kids were thinking or doing.

Oh please. I was a teen in the early 90s. And, yes, my parents has zero clue what I was doing or thinking. I do not use that as the bar for good parenting given that they probably should have known more I was doing. a LOT of things that were problematic. I didn't trust them to talk to them.

I don't favor the know every movement or thought of some of todays parents. But there is a middle ground and the trick is finding that.

I’m don’t know. It seems the more enmeshed parents are getting with their teens’ every thought and desire, the harder time young people are having differentiating and becoming independent, functioning adults. There’s no perfect way to parent, no doubt, but whatever’s been happening in the last decade or so doesn’t seem to be going well on the whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, he will not talk about it with you. This is normal behavior for a teen. Back off.

+1 These posts lately are making me nostalgic for my 90s upbringing when parents had no clue what their kids were thinking or doing.

Umm we didn’t have phones, social media, unlimited access to porn for “learning” about sex, date rape drugs, tons of candy pills, me too movement, etc… A lot more STD’s too.

To want to be so hands off with who your son is hanging out with during his free time and what he is doing is pretty scary.

I grew up in the 80s - we didn't have phone but we had porn, drugs and all kinds of other things. I think it's pretty creepy for an adult to be so into a teenagers business. But, I guess being Gen X - I come from a different place of parenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, he will not talk about it with you. This is normal behavior for a teen. Back off.

+1 These posts lately are making me nostalgic for my 90s upbringing when parents had no clue what their kids were thinking or doing.

Umm we didn’t have phones, social media, unlimited access to porn for “learning” about sex, date rape drugs, tons of candy pills, me too movement, etc… A lot more STD’s too.

To want to be so hands off with who your son is hanging out with during his free time and what he is doing is pretty scary.

I grew up in the 80s - we didn't have phone but we had porn, drugs and all kinds of other things. I think it's pretty creepy for an adult to be so into a teenagers business. But, I guess being Gen X - I come from a different place of parenting.

I agree with you, but my guess is most everyone responding is also GenX. As it turns out, GenX became the nosiest helicopter parents

[Anonymous]

Mine does sporadically. For example, a girl asked him to a dance via text recently. He mostly asks for help navigating situations like that so I sat with him while he had the text conversation.

But if he likes a girl he’ll find ways to mention her frequently and if I ask 1-2 subtle questions it’s ok. I’ve learned to not get greedy with what I want to know! The less I ask, the more info he offers up

[Anonymous]

You all have sons that don’t talk about or bring their girlfriends to your house?

And you are all proud of that?

Um ok

[Anonymous]

Yes I guess I am confused. You think boys shouldn’t talk about the girls they are talking to or in relationships with at all?

Do you not want to meet the girlfriend/boyfriend?

[Anonymous]

Mine does. I guess he is an anomaly.

Not a lot but he has had two girlfriends. One we never met and a current one that is over at least twice a week. He talked about both of them and him and his friends would talk about girls in the car completely forgetting I am in the car sometimes.

Once he starts driving I still hope he will talk to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, he will not talk about it with you. This is normal behavior for a teen. Back off.

+1 These posts lately are making me nostalgic for my 90s upbringing when parents had no clue what their kids were thinking or doing.

Oh please. I was a teen in the early 90s. And, yes, my parents has zero clue what I was doing or thinking. I do not use that as the bar for good parenting given that they probably should have known more I was doing. a LOT of things that were problematic. I didn't trust them to talk to them.

I don't favor the know every movement or thought of some of todays parents. But there is a middle ground and the trick is finding that.

+10000

[Anonymous]

I have a tenth grader. He never talks to us about girls. This is normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a tenth grader. He never talks to us about girls. This is normal.

Says who?

Maybe he is gay or asexual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a tenth grader. He never talks to us about girls. This is normal.

Says who?

Maybe he is gay or asexual.

DP. Those would be normal variations, too, and would not make the boy start talking to his parents about his romantic interests or lack thereof.

[Anonymous]

I certainly knew when my son had girlfriends in 10th/11th grade, and met the girls, but we did not sit around talking about his relationships. I asked him if he was ok after breakups and was there if he wanted to talk about it.

His best friend was very chatty so he gave us additional info whether we wanted it or not lol.