Your rescue boat is here: Navigating teen relationships with the Sensible Moms

There’s a romantic spin to this relationship boat we’re navigating – but don’t get seasick. The Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms are here, and they brought the lifeboat.

In their new post, Teens and Romantic Relationships: A Positive Spin parenting bloggers Erin and Ellen of the Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms explore this phenomenon of looking at your kid’s new-found interests *queue butterflies* the same as the relationships they have with friends or peers. That is, if they love themselves first and are confident in the decisions they make as young adults, then you can trust that these sort of relationships will be no different.

We’re not saying there won’t be storms, but take it a wave at a time. They might have a really defining moment in the way they decide what constitutes a “deal breaker” and find out something about themselves in the process. Here’s one of their tips to staying true to yourself:

Being part of a pair is the perfect place to learn how to stand on your own two feet. Erin’s daughter was three dates in before she realized the boy she was dating hated the music she LOVED.  But it wasn’t so much that he didn’t care for her favorite band, it was the way he reacted to them and to her affinity for them that made the difference. Standing up for her favorite band brought her a step closer to standing up for what she believes in. You might not thank your daughter’s ex for creating your future crusader, but his presence in her life didn’t hurt. Dating gives your teens opportunities to define what they stand for and to discover what their “deal breakers” are.

Read more & tell us on Twitter or Facebook about your kid’s first dating experience and how you navigated it.