Far-flung humdrum quiet Dotterel

kids in my elementary were dating in like first grade mate, its good for their social skills and as long as they arent fucking there isnt really anything bad about other than the perceived "oh god they are too young thats gross why arent the children the innocent things i thought they were supposed to be instead of learning about the world just like everyone else did"

@bethorien I think @internet meant that at that age they aren‘t matured enough to deal with some emotions like break ups,etc. They are still very naive and stand a greater chance of being misled or emotionally incapacitated. They can have friends, that will also improve their social skills. I believe 10 is a bit too young for a relationship. Both parties don‘t fully understand what a relationship is in the first place. I‘m not against a boy liking a girl at that age or have female friends and vice versa, but there are some things he needs to be aware of before he walks into a relationship so he isn‘t ripped to shreds and think it‘s normal. His mind has to develop to a point. I don‘t think it‘s mentally good for him to chew more than he can handle, but I could be wrong.

In my opinion, 10 is quite young for a relationship in general. But- to be fair, some people are “too young” at 20 or 30 or 40 to be mature enough for a relationship. It all depends on the individuals like most things. Also- I may be wrong, but in general I envision a relationship between kids that age to be not much more than a couple 5 year olds “playing house.” Sort of a “ok. You’re my boy friend/girlfriend now..” “ok. What do we do?” “Well... you have to text me and we have to give each other presents...” that sort of thing. Kids have access to technology we didn’t, and most of us sure didn’t have access to porn at that age like most kids do. Kids also seem to move faster earlier than we did too- but I think that like many things at such a young age that it’s critical parents and adults pay attention.

If things are innocent and you aren’t letting your 10yo run the streets, you should be able to not just have an idea if it’s innocent and appropriate- but also help contextualize and guide them. Explain to them basic concepts of romance and respect and the more high concept “gentle” aspects of romance like how to treat others and how to expect to be treated- not to be a door mat or a selfish partner. That the heart of another comes with responsibility and reward, and that if they can’t see both they aren’t ready for more and should wait until they understand. Stuff like that.