xVerity: Something something eighties sitcom.
KnotMyProblem: But if it turns out that Brian’s got game when he’s a teenager, you can bet your ass I’m gonna step up my game in response. Matthew will be going on so many dates his head will spin. Lunches together at work? You’d better believe it. Nights out on the town? I’ll be there with a rose clenched between my teeth, baby. We’re talking black tie affair. If my son is going to be hitting the town, I’m damn well going to show him how to do it right
KnotMyProblem: And my daughter, too. Emily is going to be the best at dating. We’re going to channel that Godzilla energy into smashing HEARTS. She’ll be ripping apart guys limb from limb with her FANGS. Romantically. Or, you know, girls. Or both. It’s all good.
TeenDad2: I can’t even imagine Bo dating someone. I tear up taking him to play dates
xVerity: It’ll be okay, TD. All kids grow up sometime. You won’t be the only one struggling with the transition.
KnotMyProblem: I guess I’m too modern. I don’t get why so many parents are against their kids having sex.
KnotMyProblem: Older teenage kids, at least. Post-puberty. Sixteen and up.
TeenDad2: Because they’re my sweet babies :crying emoji:
Gwynning: As someone with an older son, it’s jarring how fast they grow up. It’ll seem like just yesterday they were learning how to crawl, and then suddenly they’re in high school
Gwynning: I remember at that age I thought I was so grown up, but now that I’m approaching fifty, teenagers are like children. It’s that perspective shift that gets you. It’s easy to forget what it’s like at that age when you’ve got years of experience to frame your past
xVerity: I think that’s also part of the reason some parents will always treat their children like they’re kids, regardless of age. But behavior like that is toxic and isn’t to be encouraged. As dads, it’s our responsibility to strike a balancing act between being an authority figure and understanding that our children are their own people.
GlitterDoctor: I haaaate this conversation
GlitterDoctor: You know what I’m gonna do if Parker’s going out more than me?
KnotMyProblem: What?
GlitterDoctor: First I’ll kick Caleb and Everett’s asses for being boring old men
TeenDad2: LOL
GlitterDoctor: And THEN I’ll date myself
LoveHarley: how does that work?
TeenDad2: HARLEY!
TeenDad2: Hi <3
LoveHarley: hi TD
GlitterDoctor: Dating yourself is easy. Or I should say, it CAN be easy. It can also be next to impossible. Basically, you’ve gotta have enough self-love that you go out of your way to spoil yourself
TeenDad2: What kinds of things do you do on a solo date?
GlitterDoctor: Anything you want
GlitterDoctor: Like, you could take yourself to a nice dinner out and then a solo trip to a movie you’re dying to see. Or a massage. Or if you’re feeling spicy, you could take yourself on a weekend retreat and do the things you love to do. Relax. Read. Watch TV. Go on hikes. Eat all the ice cream. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as you’re doing it for you and not for anyone else
GlitterDoctor: New age lingo for dating yourself is self-care, which is nice, but I think self-care is almost dismissive. Like… go all in. Date yourself. Make you your most important person. Own it. Be brave and do what you want. Screw what others think. You’re in it for #1 and that’s not a bad thing. You matter
TeenDad2: I love that <3
GlitterDoctor: Plus, if your kid is old enough to be going on dates, it means they’re old enough to be left alone unsupervised. That means you’ll have more time for yourself than you did as the parent of a young child. After all those years spent caring for a young life totally dependent on you, you deserve to romance the shit out of yourself
KnotMyProblem: Fuck yeah!
KnotMyProblem: Date yourself every day. Go on a double date with yourself and your partner. Have way hot threesomes with you, yourself, and your lover
