Let’s give out a whoop and a holler because Max went on his first date a couple weeks ago. It took a little bit of prodding.  That is scary to ask someone out on a date!  Especially if you are calling them in front of your friend and your parents who won’t let you leave the house until you call and ask.  Ha!  Max had been wanting to ask someone out since he turned 16 in June (we wait to date until we’re 16).  But summer was crazy and the one time he got the guts to ask someone she was out of town. So Dave and I joked around with Max and his friend that it was time.  They needed to pick up the phone and call some girls, voice to voice.  They both wanted to, but again, there’s the scary factor.  I was so proud of Max when he just finally picked up the phone and confidently asked a cute girl to go mini golfing with him.  His friend followed suit and they were set for their double date the next night. I just think it’s so important for kids to have that experience.  I think in our day and age kids just text each other and don’t have the opportunity to talk in person, even on the phone like we did in the β€œolden days.”  Dave and I want Max to learn how to be a gentleman, open doors for girls, talk to their parents, all that jazz.  Call us old fashioned, but I think it’s becoming a lost art and it’s important to learn how to communicate and what kind of girl/guy you relate to most.  Dating is what helps you choose a future spouse.  And you sure as heck better choose a good one!  How can you do that if you don’t have a lot of experience dating lots of different kinds of people?  So they went. Here’s my β€œlittle” buddy taking off. 2013-08-10 iPhone 85012 His darling date knew I’d want a picture so she texted me this:2013-08-10 iPhone 85014 Is that sweet or what?  The girls were dying to see how it went when he got home.  So we let them stay up late to hear all about it.2013-08-10 iPhone 85015 Have I mentioned how much I love having teenagers?

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20 Comments

  1. How sweet (and scary) aaahhh! I'm teaching my son to be a gentleman I think that we need more decent young boys and girls in the world.

  2. This made me laugh. You and Dave are such sweet, fun parents. You bring up a good point about getting used to asking girls out on dates. I never thought about it before, but it seems like you may as well learn this and get over that hurdle at 16 instead of 20 because it's never easy to put yourself out there and face rejection. Good for Max!

  3. We want to teach our son to be a gentleman, too. I'm concerned though at how "old fashioned" calling on the phone, getting out of your car to actually pick up your date, talking to their parents, you know, treating your date like a real date, etc. My kiddo is only 2, and I can only imagine how much more old fashioned that will all be 14 years from now. Yikes!

  4. Love this! And I'm so with you on the actual voice to voice/ face to face communication. Working with the youth at church I see all they do now is text!!

  5. Wow, pushing your son to go out on dates…you get lots of awesome mom points for this in my book!! These are good experiences for them to have, especially when they can come home and talk to their families about their dates. So, what time did he have to be home? Do you have a curfew for all your children?

  6. This is awesome! I am always telling my 13 year old son that he will be required to date when he turns 16. I love the "old-fashioned" way it use to be- I totally agree with you! I believe they must have these experiences to pick the right one someday! Love, Love that the sisters waited up- we have 3 daughters following our son- I hope that happens at our house. You rock! I love reading your blog!

  7. I'm kind of confused.
    Wasn't he allowed to go on dates when he was 15? And why does he have to start dating at the age of 16?
    And is it a "Mormon-thing" that parents take action in the dating of their teenagers? I mean most of you (at least the Mormons who have family blogs) marry really young. Is that a consequence of being pushed to go on dates with many different potential partners? To find a suitable husband or wife as early as possible?

    This might sound as an offence, but I really don't mean it that way.

    I'm just curious. And a little bit confused. Mainly because you got so much applause for this idea.

    I mean encouragement is great, if your teenager wants to ask someone out but doesn't have the guts to ask. But saying "Okay, yesterday it was forbidden, but today you turn 16… so go for it!" seems a little bit strange to me.

  8. Hee Hee! Sabrina-I see your confusion! I think the applause is for having your son actually call a girl, opening the door, acting like a gentleman, knowing how to talk to girls, etc. It seems that high school boys these days don't ask girls out much. They just "hang out" instead of taking the initiative to actually date. I'm not going to suggest my son date every spare moment- I just want him to have the experience of dating in high school at least 3-4 times a year. I am definitely not pushing him to marry while he is young!

  9. you know, it does take a lot of courage, and you know, I have thought a lot about this recently, talking is becoming a lost art, and if you are only texting to ask dates out, texting back and forth as friends, what happens when you get married… you don't know how to talk to someone!!!!

    cute cute pics! way tog o max!

  10. I love hearing you say you love having teenagers! My two kids are still young but all I hear is how horrible those teenage years are.. I want to look forward to teenagers with excitement and reading your blog helps me do that. Your kids are wonderful, as are you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas on parenting… it's really helped me as a young mom.

  11. so cute! I CANNOT wait to have teeneages!! My three girls are so cute, but with them being 7, 5, and 2, there is a LOT of screaming and whining going on! πŸ™‚ haha! Glad it was a good date and glad you amde him do it! πŸ™‚

  12. I am so impressed! Where I live no kids date and SOO many kids don't get their driver's licenses until almost 18! It makes me crazy because I think both are important steps in independence and rites of passage!

  13. I remember my first date with a boy I ended up dating for 4 years through high school and university. He didn't drive yet, so his mom dropped him off at the movie theatre. After the movie we walked to my house and made a pizza so my parents met him. Funnily, I found out after that he was sick, but didnt want to cancel our date and he spent the whole night trying not to throw up! hahaha

  14. So I'm mom to two tiny girls (4 and 2), and sometimes when I imagine them growing up and being teenagers, I die a little. But when I read your blog, I feel like it could be pretty awesome. Thank you! πŸ™‚

  15. So good for you to be creating a gentleman – there aren't many left!! I also wasn't allowed to date until I was 16 and looking back I wish my parents would've made me wait longer! haha You seem like a great mom πŸ™‚

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