Wow. ANOTHER leap from dating to sex. What the hell people? So no one ever went roller skating or to a dance or to the arcade with a boy when they were in middle school without then jumping into bed with the boy?

Come on. And I am not even advocating for 7th grade dating, but some of you are going to have a long road ahead with this mindset.

Anonymous wrote:Do kids have crushes and raging hormones? Yes.

Will dating make it worse? Maybe. Why take that chance?



Do married people have crushes and raging libidos. Yes.

Will hanging out with people of opposite sex, who are also available and attractive, alone, in non-work related situations- lead to improper behavior. Maybe. Why take that chance?

Exactly!!! You are playing your just turned teen to be alone with a boy. Once the movies are done and it gets serious in a few months, then what? You already condoned it. No turning back now.

Nope, what is the purpose of a 13 yr old dating? Is she looking for a mate? a relationship? Unlikely.

If she wants to be friends and they like each other - fine, but they don't need to spend time alone together to explore those feelings at 13.

I know some people are perfectly fine with sexual exploration at 13 and would just give her condoms and encourage her to safe but I think 13 is way too young.

With all the MTV and BET videos and the cheap reality shows with teen moms and hoochies/thugs, I would say no. Whether we want to believe it or not, our kids want to emulate these images more than we realize. They will have plenty of time to be grown when the time comes. This can wait.

Yes.

I would drop them off and pick them up right after the movie.

If they want to go out for ice cream or hang out at our house afterwards, I'd be okay with that and keep a discreet distance.

NBD

Do kids have crushes and raging hormones? Yes.

Will dating make it worse? Maybe. Why take that chance?



Do married people have crushes and raging libidos. Yes.

Will hanging out with people of opposite sex, who are also available and attractive, alone, in non-work related situations- lead to improper behavior. Maybe. Why take that chance?

It's the roller coaster emotional aspect of it, not the potential for being a "ho," that concerns me. Hormones are raging and kids should be learning to deal with the intense emotional ups and downs of being a teen first before they add the powder keg of dating, crushes, etc. to it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is in 7th grade and there is no way I would let her. Not even as a group of dates. Thankful she has no interest in boys yet.

I think it is way too soon. If you let her on dates now imagine what she will be doing in 9th grade? Hint: not going on simple dates.

Huh. I went on simple dates when I was almost 13. Guess what I did in 9th grade? I went on simple dates with boys.

Yeah. This is pretty dumb logic. I don't think I would want my 7th grader dating, but I remember being 13 and having such huge crushes on a boy; we went to school dances together and hung out together with groups of friends, talked on the phone, but didn't "date."

All that aside, going to see a movie with a boy in 7th grade is not going to lead to blowjobs in the bathroom at 15. Good lord.

I don't know! Thank goodness it hasn't come up, yet, lol.

If I agreed to it, I think I would drop off right on time/pick up right on time - that would be within my comfort zone. I think...

Yes, I would. But I would drop them off before and pick them up afterward. Actually I would have to do this anyway, because they wouldn't be able to get there on their own.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is in 7th grade and there is no way I would let her. Not even as a group of dates. Thankful she has no interest in boys yet.

I think it is way too soon. If you let her on dates now imagine what she will be doing in 9th grade? Hint: not going on simple dates.

Huh. I went on simple dates when I was almost 13. Guess what I did in 9th grade? I went on simple dates with boys.

wow. what a bunch of over-reacting parents.

In our middle school, waaaay back in the '70s, we routinely met boys for roller-skating dates. Somehow, I did not end up a "ho" in high school or college or after that.

Thanks PPs. Those were my thoughts too -- yes in a group, possibly yes if a parent goes, otherwise no.

At what age will you/did you let your kids go on a date like this?

(Frankly I thought dating was dead and I'm surprised it's still being done!)

Anonymous wrote:Would you insist that they go in a group? Insist that a parent go along? Say hell no?

FWIW it's not a friend thing but intended by both as an actual date. They don't go to the same school or hang out with a lot of kids in common.

Hell, NO. This is too young. What are they training to be? And how come this thought came in their minds? Get them involved in some other things, they obviously have too much spare time on their hands.

Kids from same school or neighborhood or activity can go as a group, without pairing up. A parent or two should go along, to drive and to keep an eye. The parents can sit away from the kids.

Nope. In a group, yes. With a parent along, yes. But the two alone, no.