There are reasons that parents don't let their kids date before a certain age, and maturity is one of them. Preteens are often not ready to handle the strong feelings that come with a romantic relationship. They also might not recognize when a good relationship has turned bad.Liz Claiborne and Loveisrespect.org recently sponsored a survey of tweens and young teens, looking for insight into what goes on in these young relationships. The results were alarming. Here's a glimpse:
- One out of five 13 and 14-year-olds responded that they knew a friend who was physically abused by a boyfriend or girlfriend. Half said that they know someone who was verbally abused.
- Nine percent of 11 to 12-year-olds say that their friends have sex.
- Nearly 70% of kids who have sex before they turn 14 experience some kind of abuse.
- Half of all tweens who responded didn't know the warning signs of an abusive relationship.
- Significant numbers of tweens and teens experienced abuse through the use of technology (IMing, texting, etc).
The Washington Post has an older article on the subject, but I think it offers good advice. If you have a tween or teen who's showing interest in dating, these are simple but important steps to keeping them safe.
1. This is very sad, and your right. A lot of adult relationships are like this so why wouldn't our youth model our message? I think parents need to be talking with there kids and getting themself more involved with their kids lives. I know this is easy for me to say, I have a two year old. My only experience with teenagers is my own teenage years and I was a monster! But still....it's so sad.
Posted at 5:22PM on Jul 13th 2008 by Miranda