When your child starts dating…

According to one very interesting article about tweens, teens and dating, there are three waves to dating: fifth-grade hand-holding, middle school messaging and group dates, and finally, more intimate high school relationships. It also offers advice on heartbreak, dating red flags, sexuality, porn and consent. Interested? Check it out here.

Speaking of first crushes…

I am a big believer in giving kids their own library of non-fiction books to help them navigate all the stages of growing up. This means they can dip into books in the privacy of their own bedrooms and get sound advice – without having to make eye contact with a parent! There are some terrific books out there designed to help our kids navigate crushes, dating, first love and breakups, starting with some of these examples:

FOR TWEENS (8-12)

A Smart Girl’s Guide to Boys by Nancy Holyoke – this one’s all in the title! Grab a copy here.

FOR TEENS (12-16)

When your girl is at the business end of young love, Loveability: An Empowered Girl’s Guide To Dating And Relationships by Dannielle Miller and Nina Funnell is where it’s at. Grab a copy here.

FOR OLDER TEEN GIRLS (15+)

Try the whimsical, entertaining and honest Break Up Boss, Text Book Romance and Love – all by Australian author Zoe Foster Blake. Grab a copy of each here.

FOR OLDER TEEN BOYS (15+)

For our boys aged 15 and up there’s Respect: Everything a guy needs to know about sex, love and consent by Swedish sex educator Inti Chavez Perez. This is an excellent book for boys about flirting, love, sex, dating, sexuality, consent and more. Grab a copy here.

Valentine’s Day with your kids

When I was a lovelorn teenager, my mum always bought me a Valentine’s Day gift and card. ALWAYS. And whilst I would have preferred flowers from Michael J Fox, getting a little box of choccies from my mum always softened the blow. Valentine’s Day can be a tricky time for teenagers, especially girls. Why not buy them a little card and a chocolate or small gift? Or maybe a book! After all, 14th February is also International Book Giving Day! A new book by their favourite author could be just the thing to soothe a broken heart.