Several weeks ago, I began dating a girl. She shall remain anonymous, so I shall refer to her as “N.” Anyway, “N” and I have been dating for the month of January. While thinking of what to write, I realized I have never written about relationships before. So, I thought I would write about some of the general rules that have come with it and what I think of them.
Generally, both her and my parents have been fairly lax about the rules. They aren’t just saying do whatever you like and we won’t care, but they aren’t being helicopter parents either. So far, the rules have been fairly enjoyable and understandable.
- When “N” is over or I am at her house, we don’t have to stay in the same room as the parents. The only rules are that we have to keep the door somewhat open (my mom specified equal to or greater than 45 degrees) and we can’t hang out in the bedrooms. Otherwise, the house is pretty much free rein. My mom will occasionally check on us, but she doesn’t constantly monitor us.
- We are allowed to drive each other places. I know many kids that aren’t/weren’t allowed to drive/ride with their significant other. I can understand doing this if one of them has a reputation as a bad driver or they can’t be trusted to do what they said they were going to do, but in our case, we are both good drivers and responsible, so the freedom we are given is understandable.
- We aren’t allowed to hang out without parents home. I know this may annoy lots of teenagers, but it is reasonable and understandable.
- We both have reasonable curfews. In both of our cases, we are usually allowed to hang out until 11 PM. This time is totally understandable, because it is the curfew I usually have with friends, too. It isn’t overly late, but it isn’t excessively early either. Also, for special occasions, it could be extended until midnight.
Being in a relationship is great as an adolescent, so having good rules for your teen while they are in one can truly help them grow into productive adults.